


Blue Clouds and Silver Linings

by Roserado



Series: Blue Clouds [1]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Earth C (Homestuck), F/F, Gen, Trans Character, Trans Female John Egbert, Trans Roxy Lalonde, just a lot of trans feels in general, this is a part of a larger thing but it can be standalone
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:20:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 30,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27830671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Roserado/pseuds/Roserado
Summary: Your name is JUNE EGBERT and all of your friends are dead. Ok, that's technically not true. You just zapped to a point in the future after they had stopped living for some reason. You're still not really sure why that is and it's kind of freaking you out, or it would if you were actually thinking about that right now. Fortunately, you've got your mind on more pressing matters: when did Earth C become such a shithole?AKA: June Egbert panics so hard about the future she starts getting her life together, with lots of help from her friends.
Relationships: Calliope/Roxy Lalonde, Dave Strider/Karkat Vantas, Rose Lalonde/Kanaya Maryam
Series: Blue Clouds [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2036950
Comments: 10
Kudos: 54





	1. Chapter 1

Your name is JUNE EGBERT and all of your friends are dead.

Ok, that's technically not true. You just zapped to a point in the future after they had stopped living for some reason. You're still not really sure why that is and it's kind of freaking you out, or it would if you were actually thinking about that right now. Fortunately, you've got your mind on more pressing matters: when did Earth C become such a shithole?

You're not sure exactly how far in the future you zapped to, but it can't be that far if the architecture of buildings and whatnot still looks pretty similar to the way it looked back before you left. Cities, suburbs, parks, and other marks of civilization are all still here, in all four kingdoms. But things aren't right. Every now and then, you'll notice something indicative of conflict. The kind only you and the other former Sburb players could make. 

Craters litter vast, empty plains, and the ruins of huge buildings and strange structures you never saw from the time you left are scattered on the outskirts of towns. Your house got blown up at some point, as did the entire town of salamanders your house was placed in. You don't know whether or not that was because of the greater conflict that happened at some point or if it was directed at you. It makes your stomach churn thinking about it.

Your house wasn't the only one that was on the receiving end of an explosion, though. Dave and Karkat's hive was blasted down to it's foundation, Rose and Kanaya's place is a crater. The huge tower Jane had constructed that was a little too reminiscent of the Condesce's ship was completely blown to bits. The only reason you knew that's what it was in the first place were the bits of red that had managed to peek through the charred exterior of the building's remains.

It struck you at some point on your sad and lonely journey through future Earth C that if Terezi had ever returned with Vriska, or even by herself, you have no way of knowing. Realizing that you never got to tell either of them your new name makes you want to lie down and cry until you pass out, but you manage to pull yourself together enough to think about the most depressing thing you remembered thanks to this whole escapade: Your retcon powers are not time travel.

It seems obvious when you think about it in hindsight, since going back is what you mostly used it for, but it really isn't time travel. It's the rewriting of reality in relation to what actions you can take in any moment you decide to insert yourself into. But it also works in reverse. 

Since you've zapped yourself to the future, the June Egbert that would have existed from the point you left never happened. You haven't yet gone back and continued to exist in your present. For all intents and purposes, the moment you zapped to the future is the moment June Egbert disappeared forever. Sure, you're here right now, but to your friends, to everyone you know: you may as well have died. 

This led to the sobering thought that you may be the cause of all this. That somehow, you suddenly not being there was what caused… whatever terrible thing that happened since then. At first, you argued with yourself; it couldn't be, I never even left the house. I barely talked to anyone, how could me not being there result in this kind of devastation? 

Eventually, you made the startling final realization of your future excursion. The retcon jump may have not mattered at all. If you could be the cause of this simply by not being there, wouldn't this all happen anyways? Somehow, by being a complete and utter loner, you doomed all of your friends and who knows how many innocent people to death. 

God, you are such a shitty friend. 

The conclusion you reached at the end of everything was really not what you were expecting, but nothing seems to make more sense than what you've come up with. You've thought it over and over, and you know what you need to do to make all this right. 

You need to talk to everyone.

And then you need to keep doing that, until you're sure nobody is going to go crazy and start a chain of destruction that leads to everyone you know dying or disappearing. No pressure.


	2. Chapter 2

You zap back to your room, the moment after you left. Everything is as you left it. The curtains aren't drawn, your computer is still on, a pile of technically clean laundry in a heap in the corner. The posters of your favorite movies are all still on the walls. Something new begins to assault your senses, though: the smell. After breathing in the fresh air of the outside for hours, inhaling the somehow apparent stink of your room makes your face scrunch up.

You open the window for probably the first time in months, and run a cool breeze through your room, which helps a bit. You decide to leave the window open and let in the sun. Somehow, this makes the mess you've left your room in more obvious. Suddenly in the mood to clean, you decide to take advantage of this assuredly fleeting feeling and tidy up your room as much as you can before it fades.

To your surprise, the urge to clean your room turned into the all encompassing demand to turn your entire house into a spotless Ikea furniture display, because by the time you're done, it's evening, and just about every layer of dust and pile of garbage is in the trash can. It's not perfect, but somehow your unexpected desire for cleanliness managed to turn your house into a place you aren't actually ashamed to live in!

You take a moment to marvel at how low your standards are for yourself. 

After everything you want to just lay down and fall asleep, but you remember that there's something more important than that. Something that's so imperative you do that you can't stand to just lay down and give it up. 

You rush to the bathroom and immediately begin to apply shaving cream to your face. No self respecting woman would let herself be caught dead with any facial hair whatsoever. At least, any human woman. You don't know how it is for trolls, it's possible they grow facial hair when they get older. You decide to put a pin in that thought and finish your shave, washing your face and hands afterwards. 

Despite your deliberate attempts to not look at yourself in the mirror while shaving, you manage to glance at yourself while wiping off your hands. It's barely been a month since you've realized you're not a man (and never have been), so your face pretty much looks like it did before. You don't know the first thing about hormones, and you've been too terrified to ask anyone about them. Rose is the only person you've talked to about any of this, though not at length. 

The image of her house turned into a crater flashes in your mind, and suddenly you feel exhausted, like all the cleaning from the past few hours has only caught up with you just now.

You've probably been stalling long enough. Without any further thought, you pull out your phone and call Rose. It rings once, twice, three times before it's picked up. 

ROSE: Hello, June. To what do I owe this pleasure?  


JUNE: Oh, just doing the usual weekly check-in. Are you busy right now?  


ROSE: I'm currently having an exquisite dinner with my lovely wife, but seeing as she's retreated to the ladies room for the moment, I suppose I've got a few minutes to spare.  


JUNE: I see.  
JUNE: Um, what are you having?  


ROSE: A supposed Alternian delicacy I won't bother pronouncing the name of, recreated from the most accurate accounts available.  
ROSE: However, seeing as those sources are Karkat, who in all likelihood never had it, and Kanaya, who only saw the dish being prepared once on a video she saw when she was 4 sweeps old, I'd wager that what is currently on my plate is far different from its original Alternian version.  


JUNE: Is it any good?  


ROSE: It's horrid. That, or my taste buds have become so thoroughly altered that the only food I find worthy are meals prepared by my wife, which, while unlikely, isn't entirely impossible.  
ROSE: What a curse, this love of mine. To sometimes eat things that aren't palatable, and to be overcome with the urge to kiss the object of my affections in places that most would consider inappropriate.  
ROSE: Truly, this is the worst timeline.  


JUNE: Haha!  
JUNE: Yep, it's just so terrible living here, where everyone is safe and happy.  
JUNE: I can't imagine anything worse than this!  


ROSE: Well said, June.  
ROSE: Ah, it appears my wife is coming back from the restroom. If there was nothing else, June?  


JUNE: Oh, nope. Definitely just wanted to call and see how you were doing.  
JUNE: Haha.  


ROSE: Hm.  
ROSE: You know June, your voice was somewhat shaky just now. Is there actually something you wanted to talk about?  


JUNE: No, there really wasn't! You should enjoy the rest of your dinner, Rose.  


ROSE: Really, June. I can pause my dinner for a few minutes. Kanaya would understand.  


JUNE: There really wasn't anything!  


ROSE: June, I don't know if you realize this, but the last time you called me was only two days ago. You usually don't call again this soon.  


JUNE: ...  
JUNE: Ok fine, I actually do have something important.  
JUNE: But I'm gonna be quick about it.  


ROSE: Go on, then.  


JUNE: I want to get back in touch with everyone, but I have no idea how to actually talk to anyone.  


ROSE: June, you're talking to me right now.  


JUNE: Well, yeah, but this is different!  


ROSE: How so?  


JUNE: Well, first off, you are really the only person I've actually come out to. How am I going to talk to anyone else?  


ROSE: So would coming out to someone make it easier to talk to them?  


JUNE: I think so, but it's so stressful even thinking about it. I have to do an actual real life meeting with every single person, and that's going to take so long.  


ROSE: June, I think you're making this needlessly complicated.  


JUNE: What do you mean?  


ROSE: Who's saying you have to come out in person? What's forcing you to only do it one person at a time?  


JUNE: Well… you know. That's just how you do it.  


ROSE: I'd like to take this moment to remind you that, in case you've forgotten, we are gods, June. How we do things is only decided by us and nobody else. Nothing is making you come out the way you've described.  
ROSE: If it's easier to, you could come out to everyone via phone call or pesterchum message. As a matter of fact, you could simply make one massive memo with everyone you know and come out to them all at once.  
ROSE: You don't even have to come out to everyone, really. You could tell a few people and ask them to spread the news in your stead. I know I would be willing to do that if you wished.  
ROSE: You don't have to do things the hard way, June.  


JUNE: Well, when you put it like that, I feel kind of stupid for worrying about it so much.  


ROSE: June-  


JUNE: No, I get it. It's ok. Thanks for the advice, Rose.  
JUNE: You know, you actually make a lot of sense when you're not talking about complicated stuff, haha.  


ROSE: Why thank you June, I do take pride in being understandable when discussing only the most rudimentary of topics.  
ROSE: Frankly, being actively understood whilst talking about intensely vague and purposefully nonsensical concepts would be far more unnerving than I'm willing to admit.  
ROSE: Oh, Kanaya just gave me a look that makes me think I should get back to our dinner. Hopefully that's all you've needed from me?  


JUNE: Yeah, I think I have an idea for what I'm gonna do next. Thanks Rose.  


ROSE: You're welcome. Now, if you'll excuse me.

The call ends with a beep, and you release all the tension you didn't know you were holding in your body. You take a moment to recollect yourself, and realize you had that entire conversation in your bathroom. You quickly exit, and glance at the clock on your phone. 7:48pm. Late, but not too late that you can't make another phone call before it becomes a bit rude.

You take a moment to decide on a course of action. In order to actually become active with everyone, you first need to come out to them, cause you really don't want to deal with being in the closet anymore. Especially considering how much you're going to have to talk with everyone.

You walk down the stairs to the living room, the sun's rays still shining through the windows you opened, though now colored a nice shade of orange from the twilight. Who would be good to talk to first? Who would probably make the smallest deal out of it?

You already know the answer. In fact, it's so obvious, you're kind of angry at yourself for not just making this happen sooner. The Strider-Vantas household would probably, no, definitely will be the most chill about this.

You can already picture it. You call Dave, ask if you can come over, he says yes, you show up, chat for a minute, drop the relatively small bombshell on them, Dave does one of his classic rants, Karkat yells a bit, and then it's back to business as usual. He's still your bro, even if you technically won't be his after this.

As you sit down on the couch in your living room, you consider the possibility that Dave might not be awake at this time of day. Before you can begin to dwell on it though, you take out your phone and call his number. You make a mental note to start rehearsing what you're going to say beforehand in the future as it rings a couple times before being picked up.

JUNE: Hey Dave!  


DAVE: Is that my main man John Egbert  
DAVE: Haven't heard from you in centuries man how's it been

Hearing your deadname hits you like a punch to the gut, and you realize you really don't want to do this more than a couple times after this. You take a deep breath and respond to Dave, keeping your voice as steady as it can be.

JUNE: Oh, you know.  
JUNE: Watching movies, playing pranks on helpless salamanders. The usual.  


DAVE: Sounds like top tier entertainment to me  
DAVE: Me and Karkat were actually gonna have a movie night in like an hour  
DAVE: Practically all we have is movie nights now but you won't see me complaining  
DAVE: The movie he picked out honestly looks like hot garbage but I don't have the heart to say no  
DAVE: Dude got so hyped up explaining the positives and highlights I thought he was gonna pass out from self induced asphyxiation  
DAVE: But nah he just kept going on about it enthused as could possibly be  
DAVE: Pretty sure if I was actually listening he would've spoiled the shit out of it for me but thankfully I get to experience the sheer perfection that is whatever long ass title that movie has completely spoiler free  
DAVE: Now that I think about it you would probably like this one totally unironically  
DAVE: If you wanna just come over and give yourself to Karkat as an actual movie partner and not an objectively dope cuddlebro he would probably be ecstatic  


JUNE: That actually sounds pretty good Dave, I'll head over now.  


DAVE: Dope, mind picking up some snacks on the way  
DAVE: We're totally out of ice cream and I'm developing a very real and very dangerous addiction to mint chocolate chip  
DAVE: Which I am of course completely embracing  
DAVE: If my fate is to become a slave in both body and mind to the holy concoction that is the combination of chocolate chips and mint then i fully accept it  
DAVE: If there was a cult somewhere on Earth C that developed entirely around mint chocolate chip flavored foods I wouldn't be surprised  
DAVE: Matter of fact I'd be over there in a heartbeat  
DAVE: Ready to drop everything and leave it all behind for the promise of an afterlife doused in that artificial mint green and crunchy but satisfying sprinkling of chocolate chips  
DAVE: Sorry John but if the high priest or whatever demands I never talk to you again as part of some bizarre initiation ritual that's a price I'm willing to pay  
DAVE: Anyways I'll see you when you get here  


JUNE: Bye Dave.

You end the call and stow your pocket away in your pocket. You're glad Dave only said your old name twice. Hopefully it's the last time he ever says it again. You think the call went pretty well though. You weren't really expecting to be invited over like that, but winding down the day with two friends and a movie sounds like exactly what you need right now.

Before you leave, you take a quick look at your current outfit, if you can call your homeless-tier garb an outfit. Slightly dusty, loose fitting sweatpants that go down to your ankles, a t-shirt that's got the title of a movie that you're pretty sure nobody but you knows about, and a plain zip-up hoodie that is kind of baggy when zipped up all the way. After your revelation a month ago, your choices of clothing started to make a lot more sense.

You still haven't gone out and bought any girl clothes. You really don't think you're ready for that, but maybe you'll feel a bit different after tonight. Probably not, but you've got a sliver of hope left for things that most likely won't happen. It's a recent development. 

You realize you've spent the past 5 minutes thinking about your clothing decisions and decide to just get a move on. You walk the short distance to your front door, and exit your house. You hope this isn't all a massive mistake as you lift into the air and fly in the direction of Dave and Karkat's hive.

\-----

You arrive at the Strider-Vantas hive with grocery bags filled with ice cream and potato chips. Maybe you went a little overboard and your arms are starting to ache a bit, but it's all in service of a movie night. As you think about how you're going to knock when both of your arms are occupied by snacks, it occurs to you that you haven't had a movie night in years.

When was the last time you watched a movie with anyone else? Sure, you've gone to the theaters a couple times to get out of the house and stretch your legs, but you never actually went with anybody. Now that you think about it, you're pretty sure the last time you did this kind of thing, it was with Jade on the prospitian battleship. How many years ago was that? You don't really want to do the math and find out.

Your arms are starting to get tired though, and the ice cream is probably starting to melt, so you awkwardly reach one arm over and give the front door a knock that was probably a little too hard. After a few moments, you hear Karkat's voice behind the door, and he opens it to see you standing there like a doofus, adjusting your weight.

KARKAT: HOLY SHIT. JOHN EGBERT IN THE FLESH. I KIND OF THOUGHT DAVE WAS HOOVEBEASTSHITTING ME WHEN HE SAID YOU WERE COMING, BUT HERE YOU ARE. 

JUNE: Here I am. 

KARKAT: SPOKEN LIKE A TRUE SOCIAL OUTCAST. BRING IN THOSE BAGS SO WE CAN GET ONTO THE MOVIE. YOU'RE GONNA LOVE IT. 

JUNE: I probably will, yeah. 

KARKAT: THAT WASN'T A RECOMMENDATION, EGBERT. IT WAS AN ORDER. YOU WILL LOVE THIS MOVIE OR SO HELP ME I WILL BURY YOU ALIVE UNDER A MOUND OF ALL YOUR TERRIBLE MOVIE MERCH THAT I KNOW YOU HAVE. 

JUNE: Haha, whatever you say Karkat. 

KARKAT: YOU'RE DAMN RIGHT. 

Well, that put a little smile on your face. You're already feeling good about this. You bring in the bags and lay them down on a table, finally giving your arms a chance to rest. You look around their living room and see a couple couches and a tv that's noticeably bigger than yours. There's a small twang of jealousy, but it quickly passes as Dave rounds a corner and sees you standing there.

DAVE: Well hot damn  
DAVE: The life of the party has arrived  
DAVE: How's my main bro John hangin  
DAVE: Legit good to see you man, been wondering when you were gonna make your way outta that deathtrap of a house  
DAVE: There is seriously no way that thing passes any kind of health and safety law  
DAVE: Seriously don't know how you spend all your time there but hey you're here now  


KARKAT: DAVE DON'T HARASS THE GUEST WITH INANE RAMBLINGS, I KNOW YOU WANT TO BUT YOU'LL HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL AFTER THE MOVIE 

DAVE: True, gotta keep it in the here and now  
DAVE: Speaking of, what made you call me out of the blue like that  
DAVE: Like I know it's pretty much assumed that you were gonna make your way back to me eventually  
DAVE: Its only a matter of time before everyone under the sun falls to the Strider charm  
DAVE: Thought you were gonna hold out longer than the rest though, never thought you'd cave so soon so what gives  


JUNE: Oh, well, about that.  
JUNE: I'm not actually, uh, a man? Anymore?  
JUNE: I'm a girl now.  


DAVE: Oh  
DAVE: Well  
DAVE: That certainly does explain things  


KARKAT: DID I JUST HEAR WHAT I THINK I JUST HEARD  
KARKAT: DON'T GO MAKING REVELATIONS TO THE WORLD WITHOUT ME EGBERT  


DAVE: Yeah mind elaborating a bit  


Karkat, who was fussing around with the snacks you dropped off, is now giving you his full attention, which you both appreciate and kind of don't like, as it's suddenly made you feel more pressure than there was before. You fidget a bit with the zipper on your hoodie and manage to mumble out something resembling the English language.

JUNE: Yeah, um, I kinda figured out I was trans gender like a month ago.  
JUNE: I want my new name to be June.  
JUNE: Also, the only other person I came out to was Rose, but there's pretty much no way Kanaya doesn't know too.  


DAVE: Well damn  
DAVE: Defo wasn't expecting to hear that tonight but it ain't gonna be a problem for me  
DAVE: I'm more concerned with the new things I gotta call you that still have the vibe of bro but aren't actually masculine  


KARKAT: DAVE I THINK THAT IS LITERALLY THE LEAST IMPORTANT THING RIGHT NOW  
KARKAT: SO JUNE THIS WHOLE THING YOU JUST DROPPED ON US  
KARKAT: I'M GLAD YOU GOT YOUR SHIT FIGURED OUT AND ALL THAT, SERIOUSLY, GOOD FOR YOU.  
KARKAT: BUT WAS THAT THE WHOLE POINT OF YOUR VISIT AND THE SNACKS WERE JUST AN OFFERING TO APPEASE US OR WHAT  


JUNE: Oh no, I did come for the movie! I wasn't lying about that. 

KARKAT: OK GOOD  
KARKAT: NORMALLY I COULD LET IT GO IF YOU DID BUT THIS PARTICULAR FILM  
KARKAT: AND I DO MEAN *FILM*  
KARKAT: IS SUCH A MASTERPIECE THAT IF YOU TRIED TO LEAVE I WOULD TIE YOU DOWN TO THE COUCH FOR DARING TO THINK YOU COULD ESCAPE IT'S BRILLIANCE  


DAVE: Oh boy here we go 

KARKAT: SHUT UP, I HAVE TO PROPERLY GET JUNE PUMPED UP FOR THE MOVIE OF HER FUCKING LIFE  
KARKAT: THE LEVELS OF CINEMATIC BRILLIANCE ENCAPSULATED BY THIS FILM ARE ALMOST EVERYTHING YOU COULD WANT IN A MOVIE  
KARKAT: IT'S GOT IT ALL, AND IT'S ALL DONE WELL.  
KARKAT: THE STORY. THE CHARACTERS. THE VISUALS. THE EFFECTS. THE CINNAMON TOPOGRAPHY. IT IS ALL SO SERIOUSLY PERFECT THAT YOU WOULD HAVE TO BE A WIGGLER TO NOT APPRECIATE IT  
KARKAT: ACTUALLY, SCRATCH THAT. EVEN WIGGLERS WOULD BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND THE PURE ARTISTIC ELEGANCE AND STYLE THAT THIS FILM PRODUCES.  
KARKAT: IN FACT, THIS *MGFMNMSMNHHFNNG*  


Dave covers Karkat's mouth with his hand, ignoring Karkat's immediate protests. 

DAVE: Yeah I'm gonna have to stop you there  
DAVE: June here was already gonna watch the movie with us, you don't gotta sell it to her like you sold me  
DAVE: Windy fucker literally flew for like an hour specifically to watch this movie with us man  
DAVE: Brought us snacks and everything  


KARKAT: GET THE FUCK OFF ME  


DAVE: Yeah sure  


JUNE: Hehe.  


DAVE: Dude holy fuck  
DAVE: You actually got the mint chocolate chip ice cream  
DAVE: Who even gives a fuck about these chips, this is the real shit  
DAVE: Big ups to June fucking Egbert for endorsing my addiction  
DAVE: I'll never forget this till the day I die  
DAVE: Catch me on my fuckin deathbed surrounded by loved ones and grandchildren  
DAVE: Those little shits crying their eyes out all sad their big grandpa is finally gonna kick the bucket  


KARKAT: (YOU'RE SICK)  


DAVE: They'll ask me if I had a good life  
DAVE: If I had any regrets  
DAVE: And you know I won't have to say a fucking thing  
DAVE: Cause they know  
DAVE: They know all about the night when my friend for life June Egbert gave me the extraordinary gift of mint chocolate chip motherfuckin ice cream  
DAVE: I give those kids a knowing smile and the heart rate monitor goes flat  
DAVE: They know I moved on to the next world with not a single lingering doubt or desire  
DAVE: My eternal lust had been sated  


KARKAT: (NASTY FUCKER)  


DAVE: The cravings no longer haunt me  
DAVE: They know I lived life to the fullest  
DAVE: They mourn but not for me  
DAVE: They mourn for the absolute treasure trove of mint chocolate chip ice cream I left behind  
DAVE: With a wistful tear they donate it all to charity  
DAVE: Passing on my legacy to those starving orphans out there that need it  
DAVE: A karmic cycle, one that oof-  


Interrupting Dave's admittedly entertaining tirade, you pull him into a forceful hug. Maybe it was a bit too forceful, but you couldn't really help yourself. You were getting pretty emotional at how Dave and Karkat tossed around your new name with ease, and everytime they did it, it brought you closer to tears. 

You think you'd be fine with crying in front of your best bro, but apparently you were still a bit averse to emotional vulnerability. A hug was the next best thing to that, you suppose. Without letting Dave out of your hug, you talk to both of them. 

JUNE: Sorry to cut you off, but it's really cool hearing you guys use my name and everything.  
JUNE: So thanks for that. I really appreciate it.  
JUNE: Also, I would get Karkat in this hug, but he was a little out of range, so I'll have to get him after this, haha.  


You realize only after you start doing it that you're kind of loudly sniffling, implying you are on the verge of crying, which you totally are. Dave hugs you back, and Karkat reluctantly moves in for a half hug. You come dangerously close to breaking out into full on cry mode, but you miraculously hold it in. 

After a solid ten seconds, you let the hug go, and Dave takes a comically huge gulp of air. 

DAVE: Goddamn  
DAVE: You and your sister give the deadliest hugs I think I've ever experienced  
DAVE: Shits like a whole ass grizzly bear lovingly mauling me to death  
DAVE: But like, real slowly  
DAVE: I know that was only like 15 seconds but it feels like at least twice that  


KARKAT: OH, COME ON. YOU'RE JUST PLAYING IT UP SO YOU CAN GET JUNE TO APOLOGIZE SO YOU CAN COVER UP HOW MUCH YOU LOVE HUGS  


DAVE: No dude I'm not joking there is some inhuman strength in those hugs  
DAVE: June, give Karkat a hug to show him what I'm talking about  


KARKAT: NO I DON'T REALLY THINK THAT'S NECESSARY-  


You bring Karkat into an even bigger hug than what you gave Dave. He makes some cute grumbling noises and hits your shoulder a bit before capitulating. When you're satisfied with the performance of your hug, you let him go and he wheezes a bit. He takes a moment to collect his breath before speaking. 

KARKAT: FIRST OF ALL, THAT WAS UNCALLED FOR.  
KARKAT: SECOND, GIVE ME SOME WARNING BEFORE YOU DO THAT AGAIN. I DIDN'T HAVE A CHANCE TO TAKE A BREATH BEFORE YOU DID THAT  
KARKAT: THIRD, THAT WAS PRETTY INTENSE DAVE, BUT IT'S STILL NOTHING FOR ME.  
KARKAT: THE HARLEY/EGBERT HUGS ARE ADMITTEDLY DEATHTRAPS, BUT IF YOU'RE AS SKILLED AS ME IT'S REALLY NOT A BIG DEAL.  


DAVE: So you admit the hugs are dangerous as all hell  


KARKAT: SHUT UP, WE STILL HAVE A MOVIE TO WATCH  
KARKAT: JUNE, DID YOU WANT TO GET TO THAT OR WOULD YOU RATHER GIVE US ANOTHER POSSIBLY FATAL EMBRACE  
KARKAT: CAUSE MURDER VIA HUG IS STILL MURDER  


JUNE: Hehe, yeah we can get to the movie.  


KARKAT: GREAT, I'LL GET IT SET UP NOW  
KARKAT: BETTER BUCKLE IN CAUSE YOU TWO ARE IN FOR A WILD FUCKING RIDE

  



	3. Chapter 3

You wake to the smell of something homey and sweet. You blink the gunk out of your eyes and see the living room of Karkat and Dave. Sunlight is peeking through the blinds of the windows, and you hear the sound of activity from their kitchen. You sit up, and your back groans at you. You realize you fell asleep in a weird position at some point through the movie on their couch.

You stand up and stretch, hearing your joints crack. Your sleep actually managed to make you feel well rested, which isn't something you've felt in a while. You walk to the entrance of the kitchen, not moving too quickly. No need to rush. Probably.

Karkat is preparing something, probably breakfast. He sees you out of the corner of his eye as you emerge from the doorway, and begins to greet you.

KARKAT: MORNING JO- JUNE. I MADE SOME EXTRA PANCAKES IN CASE YOU WANTED TO STAY FOR BREAKFAST. 

JUNE: Thanks, Karkat. I didn't think you guys usually got up at this time, though? I got the impression you two like to sleep in.  
JUNE: No offence!  


KARKAT: WHAT GIVES YOU THE IMPRESSION IT'S EARLY IN THE DAY JUNE  
KARKAT: ITS ALMOST NOON  
KARKAT: YOU GOT UP LATER THAN US  


JUNE: Wow, really? 

KARKAT: DO I HAVE ANY REASON TO LIE TO YOU 

JUNE: Yeah, I guess you're right.  
JUNE: Uh, how much of the movie did I sleep through?  


KARKAT: YOU PASSED OUT AFTER LIKE HALF AN HOUR  
KARKAT: TRIED TO WAKE YOU UP AFTER I NOTICED, I COULDN'T LET YOU MISS OUT ON A MASTERPIECE  
KARKAT: BUT YOU JUST KEPT SNOOZING THE NIGHT AWAY  
KARKAT: DICK MOVE, BY THE WAY. PROMISING TO WATCH AND JUST CHECKING OUT EARLY  


JUNE: Oh, crap. I'm sorry, Karkat. 

KARKAT: WHY ARE YOU APOLOGIZING TO ME 

JUNE: Huh? 

KARKAT: YOU WERE THE ONE WHO STOLE THAT EXPERIENCE FROM YOURSELF  
KARKAT: ONLY ONE YOU HAVE TO APOLOGIZE TO IS YOURSELF  
KARKAT: I'LL SEND YOU THE CODE FOR THE MOVIE SO YOU CAN EXPERIENCE IT FOR YOURSELF LATER  
KARKAT: NOW, DO YOU WANT TO SIT DOWN AND EAT THESE PANCAKES I SO LOVINGLY CREATED FOR YOU, OR ARE WE GOING TO KEEP STANDING HERE LIKE IDIOTS  


JUNE: Yeah, that sounds good.

Karkat moves the fresh pancakes from the pan to a couple plates, and hands one to you. He moves past you out of the kitchen to the small dining table, and you follow him. You both sit down, and you notice a bottle of syrup you don't recognize the brand of. It already has it's cap off, and before you can get a closer look at it, Karkat grabs it and squeezes about a third of its contents out onto his pancakes. 

He places it back on the table, and you take it, giving your pancakes a pretty light coating of syrup. You reach for a fork and glance up at Karkat. He has grabbed his entire stack of pancakes, soaked in syrup and all, and brings them up to his mouth. He opens it as far as it'll go and takes a massive bite out of every one of his pancakes. 

You marvel for a moment, partially at how wide trolls can open their mouths, but mostly how absolutely caked in syrup his hands are getting. Karkat takes another bite before noticing you staring, and he finishes his second mouthful before opening his maw again to gab at you. 

KARKAT: WHAT. 

JUNE: Oh, nothing. 

KARKAT: ITS CLEARLY SOMETHING IF YOU'RE GOING TO SWOON AT ME LIKE I'VE JUST STOLEN YOUR FIRST KISS. 

JUNE: Ok, fine. Why are you eating your pancakes like that? 

KARKAT: LIKE WHAT. 

JUNE: Like, grabbing it with your hands, and getting all messy and everything? 

KARKAT: HOW ELSE WOULD I EAT PANCAKES  
KARKAT: I'VE SEEN DAVE EAT PANCAKES, IT'S EXACTLY LIKE THIS  
KARKAT: ITS JUST LIKE YOUR HAMBURGERS, EXCEPT INSTEAD OF MEAT AND CHEESE IN THE MIDDLE, IT'S OTHER BUNS  


JUNE: Dave eats them like that? 

KARKAT: YES. I CAN ALREADY TELL YOU'RE GOING TO TRY AND CONVINCE ME I'M SOMEHOW DOING IT WRONG, AND INSTRUCT ME ON HOW TO DO IT THE RIGHT WAY  
KARKAT: I CAN SEE YOUR "PRANKS" COMING A MILE AWAY EGBERT  
KARKAT: THERE'S NO WAY I'M FALLING FOR WHATEVER YOU'RE GOING TO TRY TO PULL, SO DON'T EVEN BOTHER.  


JUNE: Well, if you say so!  
JUNE: I guess I'm losing my edge, if you can already see my pranks before I play them.  
JUNE: There's just no way I'll pull the rug out from under you at this rate.  
JUNE: (Hehehe.)  


You take your eyes away from the spectacle of Karkat eating pancakes to eat yours. Using your fork makes him narrow his eyes at you, but you let him scowl as you take your first few bites. It's fluffy, and the syrup is surprisingly not overly sweet. You can't remember the last time you had homemade pancakes, and your heart twinges at the blurry shape of your dad's face in your mind.

You take a couple more bites of pancake, and the world around you starts to slowly blur as you're reminded of the devastated Crockercorp tower, knocked down to it's first floor by some power you don't want to imagine. It was probably one of your friends, but who is actually able to do that? It probably wasn't Dave, Dirk, or Karkat. They don't really have any big explosion type powers.

Roxy and Calliope? Probably not. You have no idea what Calliope can actually do, but you find it hard to imagine them hurting anyone, least of all Jane. Roxy can turn things invisible and make things out of nothing, and you're pretty sure that doesn't include destruction.

Now that you think about it, Roxy could just make a bomb out of nothing. Or several bombs. Yeah. Maybe. It could also be Rose or Jade. Rose's wands can make some pretty crazy magic, and you've seen Jade move around entire buildings with her powers. Kanaya might be able to do a spacey thing if she God-tiered, but she hasn't, so probably not.

Why would anyone go after Jane, though? Is there some kind of problem going on that you don't know about? Now that you think about it, you really don't know what's going on with anybody else. Like, you've got an idea, but probably nowhere close to the big picture. Maybe you've been in your house too long. 

DAVE: Yo can you hear me 

Your eyes snap to attention, and you see Dave standing right next to you, hand on your shoulder. You realize he was shaking your shoulder a little and you didn't notice. It's hard to get a read on him, but his mouth is slightly curved down in the Strider equivalent of a frown. 

JUNE: Yeah, sorry. I didn't see you come in. What were you saying? 

Dave and Karkat glance at each other, but before you can catch what the look is about they turn back to you. 

DAVE: Yeah I came in a couple minutes ago did you really not catch that  
DAVE: I wasn't exactly being quiet  
DAVE: Not gonna tiptoe around my own home yknow  
DAVE: But seriously I was talking to you for like 30 seconds before I realized that it was all goin in one ear and out the other  
DAVE: You good  


You stare at him for a few seconds, gathering yourself. Did you really not hear any of that? 

JUNE: Yeah, I'm alright. Just still waking up and everything.  
JUNE: Karkat's pancakes are pretty good, by the way.  


DAVE: Uh huh  
DAVE: Is that why you've been staring at them them the entire time  
DAVE: Karkat already finished his when I came in but you've only eaten like a few bites  


You take a look at your plate. Sure enough, only a small part of the pancake stack you've got has actually been eaten. How long were you lost in thought? 

JUNE: Sorry, I was just, um, thinking about stuff. 

DAVE: Stuff 

JUNE: Yeah, you know. Stuff. 

DAVE: Ok well if this stuff is so interesting that it makes you neglect the downright incredible pancakes you've got right in front of you then I think I wanna get in on that 

JUNE: Oh, its really not- 

DAVE: Nah you're not fooling me Egbert  
DAVE: This stuff you've got on the brain is clearly something worth thinking about  
DAVE: If I didn't know any better I'd say you might even be thinking of things  
DAVE: Stuff and things on the brain is a recipe for disaster in case you didn't know  
DAVE: So you might wanna cut the bullshit and just give me the skinny on what's getting to you  


Crap. There's no way he's letting this go. Dude just cares too much for your wellbeing. What other thing would make sense for you to be worrying about? 

A small bead of sweat begins to run down the side of your face, and you blurt out the first thing that comes to mind. 

JUNE: I don't know how to come out to everyone else. 

DAVE: Oh  
DAVE: Yeah that'll do it  
DAVE: Before I have to actually do any thinking do you have any ideas Kat  


KARKAT: DO I LOOK LIKE I WOULD  
KARKAT: I SPENT THE ENTIRE FIRST 6 SWEEPS OF MY LIFE HIDING MY BLOOD COLOR FROM EVERYONE I KNEW  
KARKAT: ONLY TO REALIZE THAT EVERYONE ALREADY KNEW AND DIDN'T ACTUALLY CARE  
KARKAT: I AM PROBABLY THE LEAST QUALIFIED PERSON TO GIVE ADVICE IN THIS PARTICULAR SCENARIO  


DAVE: Cool helpful as always 

KARKAT: FUCK YOU 

DAVE: So June  
DAVE: You said you had already come out to Rose right  


JUNE: Yeah, why do you ask? 

DAVE: Well did you ever ask her about this  
DAVE: Don't tell her this but if I need something important done I usually go to her  
DAVE: Not that anything important actually needs to get done around here or anything but you know how it is  


JUNE: Yeah, we did actually talk about this. Yesterday. 

DAVE: Yesterday  
DAVE: Was the advice she gave you just garbage or what  


JUNE: No, it was actually really good advice. She just gave me too many options? If that makes sense? 

DAVE: Oh yeah that tracks  
DAVE: So what were the options  


You take a moment to remember the conversation you had with Rose yesterday. You take a bite of soggy pancakes to give yourself a bit of time to think. They're still pretty good, even when left to sit for a while. 

JUNE: Besides doing it in person, she said I could tell everyone by pesterchum, phone calls, or memos, or I could even tell her (and you too, now) to just tell everyone else for me so I don't have to do it.  
JUNE: I don't think I want to do the last one, though. I feel like I would be missing out on something if I didn't do it myself.  


DAVE: Yeah that makes sense  
DAVE: Did she say anything about a party  


JUNE: A party? 

DAVE: Yeah dude a fuckin party  
DAVE: By the way is dude still a thing I can call you  


JUNE: I don't think so, no. 

DAVE: K  
DAVE: But yeah a party  
DAVE: No fuckin reason to get all serious if it's just gonna stress you out  
DAVE: Like if it's so important to you and it's also a good thing which it is  
DAVE: Then why not get the message out to everyone at once so you can get on with your life  
DAVE: Your life which consists of hanging out and watching movies and also hopefully going to therapy  
DAVE: Like seriously I'm pretty sure you're the only one of us besides Callie who hasn't at least tried going to therapy  


JUNE: But Dave, I already talk to Rose once a week! 

DAVE: Yeah nice one but I mean actual therapy  
DAVE: With someone who actually went to school for it and shit  


JUNE: Heh, I know Dave.  
JUNE: I never really thought of doing a party. I don't think I would be good at preparing something like that.  


DAVE: You don't gotta worry about that  
DAVE: I can grab Rox and we can get this shit done totally undercover  
DAVE: Trust me that dude knows how to throw a fuckin killer party  
DAVE: I know you weren't there for it but the last party he threw was quite possibly the most baller thing I have ever been a part of  
DAVE: Of course now that we've all experienced that high everything else is just gonna pale in comparison  


KARKAT: THAT IS A COMPLETE LIE, DON'T BELIEVE HIS FUCKERY JUNE  
KARKAT: THAT PARTY WAS QUITE POSSIBLY THE WORST SOCIAL EVENT I HAVE EVER BEEN TO  
KARKAT: JUST COMPLETE AND UTTER GARBAGE FROM START TO FINISH  


DAVE: You're just mad you lost that shouting match with Jane  
DAVE: The points you made were good you just articulated them in the worst way possible  


KARKAT: THAT'S COMPLETELY IRRELEVANT TO THE QUALITY OF THE PARTY 

DAVE: Yeah so what do you say June  
DAVE: A coming out party would solve a lot of problems  


You scratch the back of your head, apprehensive but a little excited at the prospect of a party. You haven't been to an actual social event with more than a couple people in quite a while. Karkat takes this moment of silence to gather his dishes and head to the kitchen, no doubt to wash off both the plate and his hands. You wonder if the syrup dried while you were talking. 

JUNE: I don't know. Wouldn't Roxy figure out the reason for the party like right away? 

DAVE: Well yeah probably  
DAVE: Maybe you should tell him before we go down this road  
DAVE: See what he thinks  
DAVE: Dude would probably be ecstatic to help you throw a coming out party  
DAVE: I literally can't think of a single thing he would want to do more than help set up this kinda thing  


JUNE: Bluhhhhh.  
JUNE: Yeah, maybe. I guess I'll give it a shot.  
JUNE: Is Roxy usually awake at this part of the day?  


DAVE: Uh yeah definitely  
DAVE: Some of us aren't maladjusted wackjobs that sleep till noon you know  
DAVE: Not all of us but there's a few who have a semblance of stability and normalcy  
DAVE: Thankfully Roxy is one of em  


JUNE: Ok, I guess that settles that. I think I'll call him after I get home. 

DAVE: Oh you're leaving then 

JUNE: Yeah, I don't wanna intrude for too long. 

DAVE: Don't worry about it  
DAVE: You know we've always got a spot on the couch for you  
DAVE: Not the floor though that shit is ours  


JUNE: Haha, sure Dave.  
JUNE: I'll message you after I figure out the whole thing with Roxy.  


DAVE: Sounds good I'll see you later 

JUNE: Okay, bye Dave! 

You open the front door, wave at Karkat on the way out, and begin the hour or so long flight back home. You really hadn't thought about Roxy at all since you came back, but your mind is now racing with thoughts on what you should say and how you should say it. 

\-----

It feels like you make it home in no time, given how consumed you were by everything you still have to do. You're pretty sure you ended up taking longer than you should've, but since you were so wrapped up in your own head the time passed like nothing. The front door opens with no trouble, as you never think to lock the doors. Nobody would even bother coming here, even if there was something to steal.

You take a look at your living room. Still the same as you left it. It's a bit cleaner than it usually is, but that ends up making it seem closer to what it looked like when you were still a kid. For some reason, that makes you more upset than some of the stuff you saw yesterday did. It occurs to you that you purposefully didn't clean for this very reason.

But that's stupid, you think to yourself, and brush it aside. Who gets upset at their own living room? Not you of course. You have responsibilities now, and disastrous consequences if you don't remain steadfast in your duties. Can't lose sight of what you're doing this all for, after all.

You remind yourself that you're not doing this for yourself. It just so happened that the only way to prevent the deaths of everyone you know is to get in touch with them before it happens, and solve any problems that pop up. A coming out party is just the thing to bring everyone together for something they can all enjoy and take part in. 

That's right. This isn't for you. It's for them. So you just have to grin and bear it, no matter how much you want to squirrel yourself away and hide in your room forever. There are simply more important things than your own comfort.

… God, you're tired.


	4. Chapter 4

You pace around your room, contemplating what you've been mulling over for the past two hours. You're pretty sure you've got it down. You've got a game plan that's going to save everyone, where you'll be able to relax and lay down for as long as you want by the time it's done. So foolproof even you can't mess it up. It's so perfect that when it's complete you won't even need to be there.

The first part of the plan is the party. Have everyone come out, get together, and have fun. Ok, you don't actually have to have fun, it just has to look like you're having fun. Make everyone know that you're happy that they came. You know you're not the best liar or the most subtle, but you think you can pull it off.

Once you've got your connections with everyone resurrected and you're out of the closet, you can start actually talking to people again. This is the second part of the plan. Solidify your relationships by spending quality time with everyone. Simple enough. It doesn't have to be the same amount of time for every person, you just have to get to a point where you're familiar enough that everyone is willing to share their problems with you.

Here's where the third and most important part of the plan comes in. Figure out what possible issues the gods of Earth C have with each other and see if you can resolve them, or find someone else who can resolve them if you aren't able. As long as everyone is at least on neutral ground with each other, things won't get out of hand.

The fourth part of the plan is detection and prevention. Once you've caught up with everyone and figured out a solution to all the significant problems, you'll be able to check in every now and then to see if there's something you need to help with or take care of. If you catch a whiff of trouble brewing, you'll swoop in and promptly deal with it. This will really just look like you're being an over-enthusiastic or meddlesome friend, but that's honestly an improvement over your current reputation.

That leaves the final part of the plan. After you're positive everything is set and there aren't anymore problems that could get out of hand and start a domino effect that kills everyone, you'll zap back to the future and see if everything is fine without you. If yes, then you can safely waste away your days as you did before, not a trouble in the world. If no, that just means you have to keep at it until you get it right. It's possible there's something that happens between now and then that changes everything, or changes enough that things heat up again, so you'll have to be flexible in case of an emergency. 

You're prepared to, well, prepare for stage one of your plan. The very first step is coming out to Roxy and getting him in on the party. Dave told you he would be all for it, and you believe him, but the importance of this is still making you pretty nervous. You decide to stop messing around and just call him already. You know what you're going to say, you just have to say it.

You take out your phone, dial Roxy, and wait for him to pick up. It rings for almost 30 seconds, and just before it times out, he picks up.

JUNE: Hey Roxy!  


ROXY: omg is that who i think it is  
ROXY: tell me im dreaming cuz this sounds like the voice of the 1 and only blu boi John Egbert  


JUNE: Yep!  
JUNE: It's actually not John anymore, though. I'm a girl now.  


ROXY: holy shiiiit  
ROXY: ur not pullin my leg or anythin tho  
ROXY: cuz if not u best believe this changes everything  


JUNE: Haha, what?  


ROXY: first off whatchu goin by now  
ROXY: no way ur stickin with ur old name like me  


JUNE: It's June!  


ROXY: that is so fuckin perf you've got no idea girl

Your heart does a little flip after Roxy says that and you almost have trouble keeping up with what he says afterwards.

ROXY: Dave told me u were gonna check in and give me the biz on some sick new info  
ROXY: and hot damn if u didnt deliver  
ROXY: ay is it cool if I let Callie in on this  


JUNE: Oh, uh, sure.  


ROXY: cool gimme like 1 sec

You hear Roxy pull the phone away and loudly say something you don't quite catch. After a pause, he does it again, and brings the phone close once he's done.

ROXY: Callie says ur sick as hell and ur awesome  


JUNE: Really?  


ROXY: nah but thats the gist anyway  
ROXY: so June, tell me how u transed ur gender  
ROXY: and don't leave nothin out u hear me  


JUNE: Haha, yeah sure.  
JUNE: So I figured it out a month ago while I was talking with Rose.  
JUNE: We were talking about clothes for some reason, and I mentioned this one outfit that Vriska had me make when I was playing the game.  
JUNE: I couldn't really explain why, but I always remembered that outfit really clearly.  
JUNE: The way it looked and felt, it stuck with me more than any other outfit I made playing the game.  
JUNE: Rose asked a couple questions, which were really questions I needed to ask myself.  
JUNE: Eventually we circled around to the actual reason I liked that outfit so much.  
JUNE: Even if it didn't physically feel like it, I think I knew that I was wearing girl clothes.  
JUNE: I didn't connect the dots at the time, but wearing that made me feel great, even if it was a simple outfit in hindsight.  
JUNE: After that, it was pretty straightforward to me being trans gender.  


ROXY: daaaaamn that's a hella good way to figure that shit out  
ROXY: so have u nabbed any new digs for urself?  


JUNE: I actually haven't, no.  
JUNE: I've kind of been too scared to go out and get any myself.  
JUNE: That pretty much makes me sound like a wuss, but it's true.  


ROXY: hey it's nbd! don't b so hard on urself  
ROXY: if u want some of my old girl clothes id b happy to dump em on u  
ROXY: not like I'm gonna be using em anymore lol  


JUNE: Wow, yeah, that would be awesome Roxy. I really appreciate it.  


ROXY: dont worry bout it bb ur doin me a favor here  
ROXY: matter a fact how bout i repay that shit pronto  
ROXY: howd u feel goin out w me n Callie and gettin ur mother fuckin dress on  
ROXY: we could pic out clothes n shit for u to wear so u dont gotta b in boymode all tha time  
ROXY: all that shits on the house  


JUNE: Oh geez, that sounds like a lot. 

ROXY: we don't hav 2 if u dont want 2 June 

JUNE: No no, that sounds great, it's just, wouldn't that be expensive? How many clothes would you be planning to get?  


ROXY: lmao Rosie was rite u totally forget the most obv shit  
ROXY: June we are legit gods  
ROXY: who tf is gonna bill 3 of the creators of the world  
ROXY: nobody thats who  
ROXY: even if it was just u out there in the wild nobody would give a shit  
ROXY: they'd b 2 busy tripping over themselves like holy shit is that really a god buying from my shitty clothing store  
ROXY: take all u want ur holiness and can u pls sign my shirt I've always wanted the autograph of a god  


JUNE: I guess you're right, haha.  
JUNE: Maybe we can go clothes shopping soon then!  


ROXY: oh hells yes  
ROXY: shit I just remembered  
ROXY: Dave said smth about a party?? whats the deal w that  
ROXY: cuz u already know I'm gonna b a part a that whether u want me 2 b or not  


JUNE: Yeah, Dave had the idea of a coming out party for me. I've been pretty nervous thinking about coming out one at a time, so he thought this would be a good way to make it a happy one time deal.  


ROXY: holy fuck yes  
ROXY: its times like this where u can tell Daves my progeny  
ROXY: got that party planner dna straight from the source  
ROXY: but hell yes I'm up for a coming out party  
ROXY: u better b ready Juney girl cuz I'm gonna make ur party the night of the fuckin century  
ROXY: theyll be talking abt this 1 for decades  


JUNE: Well, that sounds great. Is it ok if we invite, like, everyone?  


ROXY: bb its ur fuckin party u can invite as many ppl as u want  
ROXY: if u wanted to invite every single person from the troll kingdom to ur shindig I would make that shit WORK  


JUNE: Everyone from the troll kingdom sounds like kind of a lot!  


ROXY: yea maybe its a bit much  
ROXY: but fr tho you can count on me June  
ROXY: ur gonna have the best coming out party any1 on Earth C has ever had  


JUNE: Sounds great. Thank you for this, Roxy. Seriously.  


ROXY: no problemo Juney  
ROXY: tell u what  
ROXY: how bout we go out later today and shop for some mf girl clothes  
ROXY: just u me n Callie livin it up  
ROXY: redesigning ur wardrobe from the ground up  
ROXY: no way I'm havin you in boymode on ur goddam coming out party for shits sake  


JUNE: Wow, I mean, yeah we can totally do that!  
JUNE: I just uh, wasn't expecting to do anything else today.  
JUNE: When would be a good time for me to come over?  


ROXY: oh dw abt that well come 2 u  
ROXY: gotta drop off my old clothes at some point nd there's no reason i cant do it today  


JUNE: Ok, sure. I guess I'll see you…  
JUNE: In a couple hours?  


ROXY: sounds good 2 me bb  


JUNE: Cool. Bye Roxy! Thanks for the help!  


ROXY: c u soon June

Wow. That went way better than you were expecting. It's not like you thought anything bad was gonna happen, but you're going out today to change your whole wardrobe. This was beyond your expectations. You… you're actually really excited?

It feels weird to think that, but you really are excited. You have something fun and new to look forward to, and it's happening only a few hours from now. When was the last time you were this excited about anything?

Your mind races about the unexpected event that's now looming right ahead of you. You're going to get new clothes, but that doesn't mean you can go out dressed like this, does it? You're still wearing your sweatpants and hoodie from yesterday, and after giving your armpit a quick sniff, you're not smelling too great either. Oh god, you haven't even shaved today!

You know they won't be here for at least an hour or so, but you rush to the bathroom to give yourself a shave and a much needed shower. You need to appear at least barely presentable, and you can't do it like this.

\-----

You are so ready for this. Your body is clean, your face is shaved, your hair is combed, and you have an actually decent jeans and t-shirt combo. It's not very girl-like at all, but hey, that's the whole point of the shopping trip today. 

You were really not expecting this today. They're not even here yet, and your heart is beating so fast you feel like you're going to fall over. The anxiety in your stomach is almost comparable to your excitement, but you know that you really want this. Even if it wasn't the first step in a long series of things you need to happen to ensure Earth C stays safe, you would still want it to happen.

Before long, you hear a knock at your door, and you've opened it before you even realize you're there. Roxy and Callie are standing outside, both holding bags of what you assume are old clothes. They were already smiling, but they smile harder when they see you. You end up smiling too.

JUNE: Hey guys!  


ROXY: yoooo what the fuck is up Junebert  


CALLIE: Hello JUne! It's nice to see yoU again!

Roxy's unexpected nickname for you hits you like a ton of bricks and you feel your cheeks flush a bit. You know it's nothing special, but it still makes you feel happy regardless. You hold the door open for them and invite them inside. The pair walk side to side for a few paces and drop their bags on the table of your living room. You think it's adorable how in sync they are despite them being so different, and it gives your heart a slight pang of jealousy.

That feeling quickly fades away as Roxy twirls around and gives you a quick hug, catching you off guard. It's light, but his hold on you is pretty secure. Just as soon as it's started, though, it's over. Roxy pulls away and begins to look at your living room, examining the decorations and everything.

ROXY: dang Juney I was kinda expecting smth a bit more crowded and filthy  
ROXY: u lettin me down over here  
ROXY: who told u u could just go and have a normal ass house w no problems whatsoever  


JUNE: Huh?  


ROXY: ur bro told me ur place would b a pigsty and boy did u not deliver  
ROXY: dude got me hyped up for nothin  
ROXY: was lookin forward to seein someones house thats actually dirtier than ours u kno  
ROXY: or, at least my part of the house  
ROXY: Callie cant stand my shit so I keep all my trash n whatnot in my own room  


CALLIE: It is qUite a mess in there. You coUld really look to JUne for pointers!  


JUNE: Oh, haha, that might not be a great idea.  
JUNE: Dave wasn't lying when he said my house was a mess, I cleaned this place like, yesterday. Spent the whole afternoon just picking up trash and putting away clothes and stuff.  
JUNE: So, sorry for not having a messy house?  


ROXY: lmao ur fine  
ROXY: anyways u wanna get this show on the fuckin road or what  


CALLIE: Yes, I'm very excited to shop for someone that isn't Roxy!  


ROXY: (hey!)  


CALLIE: There's a whole new world to explore, JUne. A world of skirts and jackets and dresses!  


JUNE: Yep, I'm all ready to go!  
JUNE: Just, um. How did you two get here exactly?  


ROXY: oh I just teleported us here no biggie  


JUNE: You can do that?  


ROXY: yea how tf do you think I get anywhere  
ROXY: srsly its so hard going back 2 just walking places once u get used 2 teleporting everywhere  
ROXY: so fuckin convenient  


JUNE: I was actually hoping we could just walk to a place I had in mind? It's only like a 15 minute walk away, but it only takes a couple minutes to fly there.  


ROXY: well if I'm walkin w u 2 then its different  
ROXY: now I got REASONS 2 walk 2 a place  
ROXY: speakin of  


JUNE: Yeah, I get it. We can go now.  


CALLIE: This is going to be so mUch fUn!

God, you hope they're right.

\-----

You feel so stupid. 

After arriving at your clothing store of choice, Roxy and Callie looked at each other and both agreed that the items for sale were just not good enough. You knew it wasn't a big place, but that was kind of the point. You didn't want to get anything too flashy, but your friends had other ideas. Against your complaints, Roxy teleported the three of you to one of their favorite stores.

It's massive. It's got at least three floors, and there's people everywhere. Its not like it's crowded, but you couldn't look anywhere without there being at least 5 or 6 people in your line of sight. Before you could get too wrapped up in that, though, the two immediately started picking out and showing you every type of clothing you could imagine. 

You insisted that you didn't want anything crazy, which made Roxy pout a little. He let Callie take the lead for a while, which helped. The three of you perused through the store, grabbing this and that. It was really the two of them that did the heavy lifting, but there were a handful of things, mostly shirts, that caught your attention.

By the time you were about to fall over from exhaustion, Roxy turned to you with seemingly no energy lost, and said it was time to start trying them on. Amid the confusion and excitement of gathering clothes, you had almost forgotten that's one of the things you did when you bought new clothes.

The two rushed you over to a changing room, and shoved a third of the massive amount of shirts, skirts, dresses, jackets, pants, and accessories into you. The last thing you heard either of them say before they closed the door for you was "Take your time!"

It's been 10 minutes since then and you haven't put on a single thing. The huge body mirror that takes up one of the walls of the changing room feels like it's pressing down on you when you look at it. You think you're a shitty friend and sigh.

The two of them went to you immediately after coming out to them, and took you to do something nice that they were under no obligation to. You saw how excited they were for you! You're supposed to be enjoying this! 

You finally decide to put on a shirt after sighing again, and take one that you picked off it's hanger. Making sure to face your back to the mirror, you take off your t-shirt and carefully put on the new one.

You turn around unceremoniously and take a look at yourself. It's not bad, you think? It's pretty similar in shape as your other t-shirt, but with longer sleeves. It's nothing crazy- a black and gray color with a blue and pink graphic design. You really like this color scheme, for some reason. You can't say you dislike it- in fact, you're sure you do like it. 

Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea after all. Turning around again, you take off the shirt and pick a random one out that Callie chose, as well as a pair of white pants that Roxy said were cute. You finagle them onto your dumb oversized body, and after making sure they were actually comfortable, you turn around.

… You look like a fucking imbecile. 

The shirt is clearly too tight for you, and it highlights your shoulders in a way that makes you really uncomfortable. The green and black color really doesn't match with the pants, which tighten the further down your legs they go. There's a gross view of your midriff since the shirt is clearly too tight for you. All this does is make you keenly aware of how much of a woman you aren't.

You tear them off, catching a glimpse of your bare skin through the corner of your eye. You realize you're starting to cry, and you cover your nose and mouth with your arms to dampen the noise. You fall to your knees, and you sit there for a moment, quietly sobbing into your arms. 

You feel sick to your stomach.

After a few minutes, you run out of tears, and all you can manage to do is stand up and put on your original clothes. You wonder about what you should do, and why Roxy and Callie haven't come to check on you yet. It's been nearly 20 minutes, and while you have a lot of clothes in here, you think they would've asked you to come out and show them how you look. Did they just leave you here? Was this all some elaborate prank to make you the laughingstock of the entire store?

No, no. They wouldn't do that to you. Roxy and Callie are your friends. You're just stuck in your own head. They're doing all this for you, they probably just teleported away for a minute to get a snack or something.

That's right, this is for you. They're taking time out of their own day to treat you of all people. You, who barely leave your house and can't bother to keep up communications to all but a couple of your friends. You can't let them down like this.

Well, if you hate looking at yourself, how are you going to decide what to keep and what to discard? There's no way you're taking home some of the things they brought you. You suppose you could just ignore the mirror entirely, and go off of what's comfortable and what isn't. That's as good of a plan as any.

After 15 minutes, you've put all the clothes in your booth in one of two piles: a discard pile and a keep pile. Simple enough. It strikes you that you'll have to do this again two more times and you sigh again. You're making that into a habit.

Finally, you put on your original t-shirt and jeans, and open the door to your changing room for the first time in half an hour. Roxy and Callie are sitting on a bench pretty close by, and immediately stand up and come over to you. You're slightly surprised they're still here, but you're given no time to think about that as Roxy begins to quiz you on what you did in there.

ROXY: ayy she's finally done  
ROXY: what took u so long June  


JUNE: Hey, sorry about that. I was just, hah, admiring myself in the mirror and lost track of time. 

CALLIE: As long as you were enjoying yoUrself, you don't have to worry! Have yoU decided what yoU're going to keep? 

JUNE: Yeah, the pile on the left are the ones I'm going for. 

Roxy snakes his way past you and into the dressing room, and investigates your selection. You've discarded a lot of what they picked out, but you decided to keep half of this portion anyways. 

ROXY: looks good, any reason u didn't like these? 

JUNE: Oh, well a lot of those just didn't really fit me, or were uncomfortable in some places. 

ROXY: shiiiit I totally forgot abt sizes  
ROXY: I was just pickin out the 1s that looked cute  


JUNE: Haha, yeah, there's no point in something that looks cool if it doesn't actually fit. 

CALLIE: I sUppose we can look over what's left and determine what woUld fit before you bother to pUt them on? 

ROXY: ye that would save a bit of time 

JUNE: Thanks, that would help. 

The three of you spend a few minutes together in the booth holding up clothes to you and tossing the ones that are too small (and a couple that are too big) to the side. It clears out about half of what you had left, and the pair leave you to try on the rest while they get bigger versions of the stuff that's too small.

A minute later, you're back by yourself, with another dump of clothing to sift through and try on. You're already pretty tired, but you decide to press on and get this done for them. You start to put on a long flowy skirt and tank top, once more not looking at the mirror behind you.

You hear your two friends come back just as you're finishing up with what was left, once again choosing to keep half of what was provided. Some of what Roxy picked out might work for him or Rose, but it really doesn't suit you. That, and you can't imagine yourself leaving the house wearing some of that for more than 2 minutes.

The two toss what they've gathered over the door to your booth, and you gather up what would be your last batch of clothes to try. It only takes about 10 minutes to go through the last of it, and once you're done, you barely feel yourself putting on the clothes you came in here wearing. The word 'clothes' doesn't even sound like anything to you now, but you're done now, and that's what matters. 

You open the door to tell Roxy and Callie you're all done. The two are sitting on a bench closer to your changing room, and it looks like you caught them in the middle of a kiss. Without thinking, you turn away your head in respect, but you know they don't really care. 

JUNE: I'm done! 

CALLIE: Oh! What have yoU decided to keep? 

JUNE: I divided them into piles again, same as before. There was one jacket you picked out that I really liked, Callie. 

CALLIE: Splendid! I'll gather Up what yoU want to keep, and then we can make way with oUr gains! 

ROXY: hells yes 

Roxy stands and walks towards you, a smile on his face. He talks to you in a voice that's slightly softer than usual. 

ROXY: so how u feelin 

JUNE: Huh?  
JUNE: Fine, I guess?  


ROXY: ur lookin pretty tired tbh  
ROXY: we that exhausting 2 b around?  


JUNE: No, no!  
JUNE: Definitely not. I really like spending time with you two.  
JUNE: But trying on new clothes was a lot more tiring than I thought it would be. I don't see how you can do this so often!  


ROXY: I don't lol 

JUNE: What, really? 

ROXY: hell nah  
ROXY: I know exactly how ur feelin cuz I been thru the same shit  
ROXY: that's why we got u so much shit, cuz I knew u wouldn't wanna do this type of thing again anytime soon  
ROXY: wanted to get u as much as we could all in 1 go  


JUNE: Wow, that's… 

Before you can finish your sentence, Callie comes out of the changing room with a mound of clothing in their arms, barely keeping their balance. They stumble, and you reach forward to steady them. You hear Callie give a muffled thanks behind the shirts and jackets. Roxy pushes a shopping cart to Callie, who promptly dumps the entirety of their burden into the cart. Roxy shoots you a smile and winks, laying his arms on the handle of the cart. Callie excitedly starts to walk back towards the changing room to get the rest. As soon as they turn the corner, you speak up. 

JUNE: Roxy- 

ROXY: imma stop u right there  
ROXY: I know what ur gonna say and I appreciate it  
ROXY: but frankly Egbert this ain't shit  
ROXY: this is just a regular day for us  
ROXY: so tell u what  
ROXY: thank me after ur party  
ROXY: ur gonna do it anyways so how abt u get it all out at once  
ROXY: also this is a public place and I don't think u rly wanna get all emotional in front of these randos  


JUNE: …Yeah, you're probably right. I'll save it for later then. 

ROXY: sounds good 2 me  
ROXY: now how abt we help my datemate out w ur new digs  


Roxy points at the direction of the changing room, and you turn your head away from him to see Callie holding a stack of clothing that's almost twice as tall as they are. They're very carefully inching closer to you, trying not to lose the balance of the stack or drop anything. This is, frankly, adorable, but as much as you wish you could keep watching, your duty to your friends is strong, and you walk towards Callie, preparing to catch any loose article of clothing. 

\-----

You lay on your back on your bed, the familiar covers ever so slightly enveloping you with a sense of comfort. It's barely 5pm, and you're already exhausted from your shopping trip with Roxy and Callie. It was good, and you had fun, but you really don't think you have the energy to do anything else today.

All the clothes from your trip as well as the old clothes Roxy gave you are still in their bags on your floor, after you moved them up here and laid down. You don't really know how long you've been laying here, and you don't even know what exact time you got home. You think it was getting dark out when you were exiting the huge clothing store, but you're not sure. You suddenly realize that because of Roxy's teleportation, that store could've been in a completely different timezone.

You decide to not worry about it, and recall a phrase you've heard every now and then from several of your friends: "Time is fake." You're not entirely sure what they meant by that, but it sure does work with your current state of lethargy. 

Your legs are sore. You haven't walked that much without rest in a long time. Haven't really needed to, being able to fly and everything. You cough a little, most likely due to your weird position, and your throat's dryness makes it hurt just a bit. You want to get some water to drink, but you want to stay in bed more. You don't get up.

After all the activity of the past couple days, you wonder how you're going to make it through all the talking and social interaction that is to come. Was it always this exhausting to talk to people, or leave your house? It can't be, right? You used to talk to other people all the time, and there was a time when you would've hated being inside all day everyday. Is this just a part of growing up?

No, that doesn't make sense either. Plenty of your friends do social things all the time, at least you're pretty sure they do. Jane is the founder of a corporation, she must have to talk to people everyday. Jake stars in movies! So many people watch him, how does he deal with all of that? How haven't they been overwhelmed by everything?

Maybe Terezi had the right idea, just leaving it all to fly around in outer space. Nobody around, nothing to distract her from her goal. Unfortunately for you, that's not an option. You don't have time to wallow around and wait for things to go wrong.

Ok, you actually do have some time. Things won't go to shit if you lay here for the rest of the day. You've got at least until the day of the party to do absolutely nothing. Remember your plan? Can't exactly get things done without being out, and Roxy will tell you when the party is happening. 

That's right. Things aren't so pressing that you'll be crushed by your responsibilities if you take some time to decompress. It's fine if you just lay here for a while.

Yeah. It's fine if you relax.

It's fine if you just…

Relax…

\----- 

_Ahem. Testing, testing. Is this thing on?_

_Haha, who am I kidding. Of course this thing is on. How else could You hear me? Always thought it was weird for people to do that, testing their microphones even though they can hear it working. Some people just like to waste time, I guess!_

_Anyways, how are You? I already know the answer, but its polite to ask anyways. It's pretty obvious it's not going great, You aren't the best at concealing your feelings._

_What do You mean, why am I saying it like that? Well, I'm talking about You, aren't I? How else would I say it? More importantly, how long are You going to keep up this weird act? You can't hide it forever, You know!_

_I know it's scary, and you just want to hide Yourself away forever, but that just can't happen for long. The dam will break eventually, and You will be responsible for everything that happens afterwards._

_Jeez, that sounded super ominous. It's not that bad, really! You have some great friends, and even some family, and they all love You. Well, most of them, anyways. They've just been busy with their own stuff, so don't sweat it. Your situation isn't anybody's fault, including You._

_Oh, crap. This thing is starting to close. You always make things hard on Yourself. I don't know when I'll get back to You, but try not to be such a sadsack all the time, all right? People would worry less that way._

_Oh, and use some air freshener every now and then, Your room smells like crap._

\----- 

You wake with a start. You look around your room, now almost entirely dark, save for the few strands of moonlight peeking through your window. You could've sworn there was someone else here, but it doesn't look like anyone's been here but You.

Ugh, your head feels weird. When did you even fall asleep? You adjust your glasses, which you never took off, and pull out your phone, the sudden light making you squint your eyes. You turn down the brightness and see 3:48am show up on your lock screen. 

You let out a groan and place your phone face down, not bothering to turn the screen off. You just woke up, but you don't feel that rested at all. You would try to go back to sleep, but you don't think you would even be able to. Your mind is already awake.

You just lay there for a moment, staring up at the ceiling, letting your thoughts wander. The light from the window gives your room just enough light for your eyes to glaze over while not really absorbing the information of the things your sight wanders over. You're like that for a while. Your head still feels kind of fuzzy, and it's hard to focus on any one thing.

Eventually, you sit up, unsure of what made you do so. The bags of clothes from yesterday still litter the floor, remaining untouched since the moment you put them there. Your eyes are drawn to one of the bags that Roxy gave you, with some of his clothes from before he came out.

Something at the back of your head pushes itself to the front of your mind. For some reason, you don't want to be such a sadsack right now. 

You don't think you've ever called yourself that, but that's definitely what you are. Some part of you can't deny the truth of that sentiment. What would be the least sad and un-sacky thing you could do right now?

Your eyes remain fixed on the bag of clothes. You stare at it a moment before swinging your legs over the side of your bed and standing up. You reach over and turn on a light, and make your way to the bag you've set your sights on. It only takes a second of hesitation before you open it and start to go through the clothing inside.


	5. Chapter 5

You're not used to your house being this noisy. It's the day of the party, only 6 days since your excursion with Roxy and Callie. Roxy got the word out quickly, and told you that today was the earliest it could be. You really wanted a few weeks to mentally prepare yourself first, but you don't know exactly what kind of time limit you have, so you picked the soonest possible date.

Roxy arrived at your house, the location of the party, a little bit after Dave did, which was at noon. The two have been putting up decorations, stocking your fridge with snacks and drinks, and rearranging furniture to make it easier to move around. You've been trying to help here and there, but there's really no way you can compete with Roxy and Dave. The two of them are just complete machines.

Roxy is clearly in his element, the amount of stuff he's getting done is incredible. You didn't know it was possible to put up a 10ft-long banner by yourself in under 5 seconds, but you've seen it happen three times now. Dave has been busy, too: there are three Daves running around right now, each taking things from here to there with the kind of casual attitude that is expected. Both because Dave is still the same cool guy he's always been, and because it's pretty obvious he's done this a few times before. 

After helping for a few hours, the two took you aside and pitched an idea for the big reveal to you. The plan is after everyone arrives, Roxy gathers them all to your living room and hypes them up for your big announcement. Then, Dave uses his time travel powers to make you appear from your room upstairs, with girl clothes and all, and sets you up to come right out and say it. It makes you crazy nervous, but it's a better plan than anything you could've come up with.

You agreed, and Dave gave you some time to hole up in your room and decide on your outfit for the party. He said you would have a few hours before people started arriving, so you don't have to worry too much.

You feel kind of bad for Dave because worrying is the only thing you're doing right now.

You made an executive order to yourself that you wouldn't look at your mirror until you were completely done dressing, but that's mostly backfired since you know you have to look at yourself once you've decided on what to wear. So here you stand, the same t-shirt and jeans you usually wear, 15 minutes after you came in here, listening to your own thoughts and the bustle of Roxy and Dave getting everything ready for you. It's starting to feel like you don't deserve friends as good as them.

Ok, you know that's not true. You're just giving yourself a hard time because you don't feel like picking out an outfit. You know they've got your back, you just have to make it up to them at some point. If everyone's possible dooms can be averted, you'll have all the time in the world to do just that.

And now you've been reminded of your reason for doing all of this by yourself, again. You're starting to think you don't need to be reminded, it really just makes you sad. You don't want to think about it.

And yet, here you are, thinking about it. Everytime you feel like going to sleep in the middle of the day, everytime you can barely bother to make breakfast, everytime you feel like you can't utter another word out of exhaustion, you remember what happens if you give up. You remember how important it is that you don't fuck up.

It strikes you as a bit presumptive to hinge all of your expectations of the future onto the success of this party. You've been assured that it'll be great a dozen times by Dave and Roxy, but now you're not so sure. You know worrying about your appearance doesn't really have any relevance to your plan, it's just ordinary ass dysphoria. But the attitudes of the people you've barely talked to in the last two years could have changed drastically since the last time you talked to them.

You don't think any of them are transphobic- far from it. As far as you know, everyone supported Roxy coming out and his medical transition soon after. That's not what you're worried about. The thing that really makes you nervous is that it's you coming out. 

Everyone knows you to be a certain person. You are J*** Egbert, goofball, prankster, lover of shitty movies, and the heir of breath. More recently you've been known as a sadder version of all of that, but still basically the same person. People know what to expect from you, and if you change their expectations, you have no idea what will happen. 

There could be no apparent change at all. There could be elation that you're not the only "normal" human person anymore, or the opposite reaction to the same thing. There could be anything that could throw a wrench in your plans; plans that haven't even started yet. You're freaking out over step 1, for God's sake.

Is that what you're doing? Freaking out? Surely this is a normal response to preparing yourself for coming out to everyone you know and love, as well as simultaneously trying to make yourself seem more friendly and trustworthy than you really are for the purposes of saving their lives from some unforeseen disaster you know almost nothing about.

Ok, you're definitely freaking out. Your hands are shaking, you've been standing in the same place, rigid as a brick wall for the past 20 minutes, you're starting to sweat, and your jaw is clenched so hard your teeth feel like they're going to crack under the pressure. 

You're not even listening to your own thoughts anymore, your mind has been overrun by your own inability to deal with problems independently. You're starting to wonder why you even bothered thinking you could do anything for them. It's starting to seem like all the effort put towards you was completely wasted, and you were better off not knowing about the future without you.

Maybe it would've been better if you had just stayed inside while your house was bombed to bits, however many years down the line. It could even be less than that. It could be just months. Maybe then you wouldn't have to live as long. Maybe it was a mistake to have ever grabbed that stupid house juju in the first place.

Maybe it would have been better if you never even came ba

Roxy Lalonde closes the door of June's refrigerator, having fully stocked it with all kinds of drinks. He stashed some orange sodas of multiple different brands in there, hoping to win one over on Dirk. He knows the dude has always been elusive, but maybe this is the kind of thing to win him over? Roxy shrugs to himself and leaves the kitchen, a Dave moving past him, his arms full of red party cups.

Roxy moves from the entrance of the kitchen to the 'study.' It strikes Roxy as odd that its called a study when he's absolutely positive no studying ever gets done in there. Roxy rolls his eyes and begins to move furniture around to allow for ease of movement. It's been pretty fun for Roxy to set up this party. He would've jumped at the chance to throw a party for literally any reason, but he has good reason to make this one extra special.

This party is for a certain someone, who is going through a similar experience to what he went through. She's pretty anxious about how it's going to go, but Roxy is making absolutely certain it's going to go off without a hitch. Both because he cares about his friends, but also because he feels somewhat regretful that he didn't get to throw himself a coming out party.

It just sort of came up in conversation with people, and before long, everyone knew. Even though he's thought about it a lot, Roxy didn't think his gender was that big of a deal, and he still doesn't, but he thinks it would've been pretty awesome to have a big celebration about a discovery he made about himself. Roxy knows that like a third of everyone already knows June is June, but that isn't going to stop him from throwing a killer coming out party. 

Roxy finishes rearranging the furniture, and takes a moment to look at the walls of the study before moving onto something else. Both him and Dave put up a few decorations, but there's still some weird photos of some dudes from Earth A that definitely aren't alive anymore. Roxy makes a mental note to himself to put something colorful over those pictures.

DAVE: Yo Rox you got a minute 

Dave walks into the study, calling out to Roxy, who notices him entering. Roxy steps over to him, and cheerfully replies.

ROXY: what's goin on my man!  
ROXY: need help with the supplies? I know we got plenty of food and drinks but I'm not sure if we brought enough ACTUAL food  
ROXY: like hotdogs n all that shit that fills u up  
ROXY: btw what's that little pin on ur shirt  


Roxy points at a small, white, circular pin that Dave has on his shirt, which has a bold '#1' in comic sans on it.

DAVE: Oh this is so everyone can tell which me is me  
DAVE: It's easier to tell which Dave is the one that's just here and which ones are from a different time even if that's from like two hours from now which the other two Daves are  
DAVE: I've got these pins from one to ten  
DAVE: Haven't really had to use them much but they're good for when I need them  


ROXY: dude that's such a good idea  


DAVE: Yeah I'm pretty much the best  
DAVE: Not really why I came over here though  
DAVE: You know how June's been in her room picking out what she's gonna wear for like an hour  


ROXY: well yea did u rly expect her to choose smth quickly  
ROXY: gotta give her some time to do her mental checklists n all that  


DAVE: Yeah I know but I went to check on her a couple minutes ago and I didn't get a response  
DAVE: Straight up silence after a solid knock and a half  
DAVE: Announced my presence loud and clear like it's my fuckin job to make sure people are aware as shit that I'm there  
DAVE: Opened the door and she was just standing there like she hadn't heard any of my parading  
DAVE: Matter of fact she probably didn't cause she looked like she was constipated from the neck down  
DAVE: Got anxiety blocking her whole fuckin nervous system  


ROXY: Why didn't u go and snap her out of it??  


DAVE: Cause this ain't the first time I've seen her do this and I had absolutely no clue what to say the last time  
DAVE: Really not my whole thing  
DAVE: But you're probably way better at this shit than me and I've got a feeling you'd be able to do more than I could here  
DAVE: Mind helping out my number one galpal  


ROXY: pffhehe  
ROXY: Dave that does not mean what u think it does  


DAVE: No I know what it means it's like the girl version of bro  
DAVE: You hang out with your galpals and do sick shit together  


ROXY: no man that is absolutely not what it means  
ROXY: sorry dude you gotta get a new word cuz u totally goofed it with this one  


DAVE: fuck  


ROXY: lol  
ROXY: but yeah I can check in on the goober and see what's got her all fucked up  


DAVE: Alright cool I'll keep working on the decorations  


Dave walks past Roxy to take over his activities in the study. Roxy exits the room and heads to the staircase that leads to the second floor. He knows it won't really matter if he gets to June's a few seconds earlier, but he makes his way to June's room faster than he thought he was. Within ten seconds, Roxy is at the door to her room, and notices it's slightly ajar. Roxy peeks inside, and sees June as Dave described her.

She didn't notice Roxy come in. Her hands are balled into fists, and she's visibly sweating. Her gaze is set on something in front of her that doesn't seem to really be there. Roxy takes a couple of steps towards her, and sees her mouth is slightly open, like she's constantly exhaling.

ROXY: June? u ok? 

There is no response. Roxy takes a moment to look around the room. There's a small pile of clothes on June's bed, which remains unmade. The window is shut and the curtains are drawn, and the sunlight coming through is the only source of light in the room.

Roxy steps towards June until she's right next to her, close enough so she can see June's face. Even at this distance, it's clear June hasn't noticed Roxy at all. It looks to him like June is staring intensely at something, but when Roxy follows her line of sight, all that he sees at the end of it is a wall. Roxy waves a hand in front of June's face, and when there's no response, Roxy really starts to worry.

Roxy begins to frantically shake June's shoulder, hoping that will snap her out of it. It doesn't. Roxy raises his voice louder than he wants to, right in front of June's face.

ROXY: June! hey, r u in there? u gonna talk to me or what June?? 

Roxy grabs her shoulders and shakes her back and forth as hard as he can.

ROXY: June?? tell me what's wrong ok! whatever's going on I can help u out! fuck, DAVE! GET IN HERE!  
ROXY: June idk what's goin on with you but I can't help u if you refuse to look at me! JUNE!!  


June's eyes widen with a start, and she grabs her throat. 

Your name is JUNE EGBERT, and you've forgotten how to breathe. You're hacking out your lungs onto the floor, which you're almost laying on. You think your throat was on fire a second ago, and your eyes are watering for some reason. You feel like you're going to pass out, but somehow the small amount of air you're barely taking in is enough to keep you conscious. There is a person on either side of you holding you up, preventing you from outright falling over.

You continue to cough, your sides heaving from trying to expel something that isn't there. Soft words are spoken to you from your left, but you can't identify who the voice belongs to. It makes you feel a tiny bit better. The pain in your throat and sting to your eyes is starting to subside, and you're descending from a full coughing fit to a mild sputter of coughs.

The person supporting your right side wipes away your tears with their sleeve. It brushes against your eyelashes, the striking red color catching your attention for a moment before your eyes shut from the stimulus. You blink a few times, and look up to see the faces of two of your friends looking at you with heightened concern on their faces.

JUNE: D-dave? Why are you- 

You break out into another minor coughing fit, your head facing the ground once more. Your chest heaves, though it doesn't hurt much now. The person supporting your left, who you now recognize as Roxy, talks to you with a tone you don't think you've ever heard come from him.

ROXY: it's ok June  
ROXY: just let it all out  
ROXY: ur safe here  
ROXY: just try to relax alright  
ROXY: we're here to help u  


You catch the last part and wonder what he means by that in between sputters of messy exhaling and inhaling. Help you with what? What even is the thing you're dealing with right now? Weren't they supposed to be busy with something?

Flashes of preparing for the party zip around in your mind, and suddenly it all comes back to you.

JUNE: The, the party,  
JUNE: Did you, is it-  


ROXY: we can call off the party June  


DAVE: Yeah no pressure we can just reschedule it later  


JUNE: No! No, I still want to-  
JUNE: *cough cough*  
JUNE: Ugh, why am I even coughing!  
JUNE: I didn't even- *cough*  
JUNE: What the hell is wrong with me?  


DAVE: We can get to that later  


ROXY: yea how abt we sit u up first and see if we can steady ur breathing  


The two carefully prop you up against the front of your bed, the hard wood of the bed frame making an uncomfortable place to rest your head. Now sitting and upright, your chest tightens a bit and you sputter out your last few coughs. You blink a few times, your head feeling less blurry every second. Your friends are looking at you with concerned expressions. At least, you assume Dave is concerned. Hard to tell with his mouth only barely curling down at the edges.

The pressure from their gazes forces you to say something to break the silence.

JUNE: I still want to have the party.  


DAVE: Yeah before that can we discuss what's going on with your whole respiratory system deciding to completely shit itself for no reason  
DAVE: Feel like that should be our priority here  
DAVE: Like the party is important and all but maybe it would be best if we weren't parading the new you around while you hack up your lungs all over everyone's faces  


ROXY: seconded  


JUNE: Ok, yeah, that makes sense.  
JUNE: I don't think I'm sick? Like I don't even think god tiers can even get sick, I'm pretty sure. It's probably a mental thing?  


DAVE: A mental thing  


Dave and Roxy relax themselves into sitting positions as they've realized whatever was going on with you has passed, at least for now.

DAVE: Is this just wild guesswork here  
DAVE: Like are you pulling something out of your ass or are you actually on to something  


JUNE: I mean, I don't know! I was coughing a lot, but I don't think there was anything really wrong with me.  


ROXY: uh  


JUNE: Ok, I worded that badly. There was definitely something bad happening. What I mean is, I guess, there's no physical thing wrong with my body. I feel fine now, really!  
JUNE: So maybe…  
JUNE: Huh.  


DAVE: What  
DAVE: What's huh  


JUNE: Do you guys feel that?  


ROXY: feel what  


You hold out your hands in front of you. You only noticed this now, but it seems like the air in the room feels… lighter? You wiggle your hands around a little bit, and the ends of your fingers begin to fade into deep blue wisps. It's like you can sort of sense the things around you?

DAVE: You gonna give let us on on whatever thing you're doing or are we just gonna watch while you turn into air or whatever  
DAVE: Which by the way would be a major dick move  


JUNE: No, I'm not gonna just disappear. Sorry Dave.  
JUNE: It's just I think I know what that coughing thing was about.  


DAVE: So you were just guessing before  


JUNE: Yeah pretty much.  


DAVE: Bruh  


JUNE: I think this is one of those things Rose told me about our powers, like they would eventually start to expand and stuff.  


ROXY: what  


DAVE: Yeah Rose said what now  


JUNE: She didn't mention this stuff to you? Like how she's getting headaches cause of her seer powers and everything now?  


ROXY: uh no wtf  


JUNE: Well, I think this is like that, but instead of seer problems, it's heir problems.  


DAVE: Not gonna lie that sounds like it kinda fucking sucks June  


ROXY: Dave!  


DAVE: Sorry  


JUNE: No, Dave is right, that really did suck! I thought my throat was on fire, even though I knew there was really nothing there.  
JUNE: But on the bright side, I think I can feel the breeze better now?  


You look from Dave to Roxy, noticing tiny wisps of blue air here and there where you saw nothing before. You can almost feel the places the breeze touches on, like you've gained a bunch of tiny disembodied fingertips that float around.

JUNE: I don't know if this will make sense, but I get the feeling that whole shitty thing I just dealt with was so I could understand my aspect better.  
JUNE: Like, I can kind of feel the air in this room? Before, I just kind of turned into wind and could control the air and make it do stuff. But now it doesn't really seem like the breeze is a specific thing that I control.  
JUNE: Its more like a thing that's everywhere that I can sometimes convince to do stuff if I ask it to.  
JUNE: If I focus, it almost feels like I'm touching stuff that's across the room. It's not like I'm physically putting my hand up against it, but I can tell there's something there.  
JUNE: Does that make sense?  


ROXY: I guess so??  


DAVE: Well shit if that wasn't a mystery that got solved immediately after it's discovery  
DAVE: So that's all fantastic and everything and I'm glad you got closer to your aspect and all that but uh  
DAVE: Are you ok  
DAVE: Like no offence but seeing one of your best buds suddenly come down with the flu for ten minutes when they shouldn't be able to catch a damn cold after hibernating upright for an hour is still a concern I'm pretty sure both of us have  


JUNE: Yeah, ok, that makes sense. I think I'm good now, though?  


DAVE: You are  


JUNE: Yeah. Now that it's over and I've actually thought about it for a little bit, I think I'll be fine.  
JUNE: The coughing really did suck, though.  


DAVE: Well ok but  
DAVE: Were you serious about still doing the party or was that just god-flu induced delirium making your brain act all fucked up  


JUNE: Yes, I still want to do it. I get the feeling that if I chicken out now, I'll put it off forever and it'll never even happen.  


ROXY: I agree  


DAVE: You do  


ROXY: hell yes I do  
ROXY: tbh even if u weren't feelin up to it I would still tell u to follow through with the party June  
ROXY: this shit is mad important 4 u and I want u to enjoy tonight no matter what  
ROXY: I'll be pissed as hell if some godly asthma attack is gonna stop us from having a good fucking time  
ROXY: can’t let all that sick prep work go to waste yknow  


JUNE: :B  


Roxy smiles at you, and you get the idea that he might be as invested in this party as you are. You find yourself smiling back.

DAVE: Well shit guess I can't argue with that  
DAVE: If we're gonna go ahead with the party I think I should mention that the guests are gonna get here in like half an hour  
DAVE: The other Daves are probably finishing up the decorations and all that  
DAVE: Was wondering why we needed the extra help until now  
DAVE: Guess future me knew we would be occupied for a while  


JUNE: Sorry.  


DAVE: Not your fault your powers decided to half choke you to death when we weren't looking  
DAVE: But seriously you still have to pick out an outfit and everything and as I've said you've got like half an hour until people start showing up  
DAVE: You gonna be alright to get dressed all by your lonesome  


JUNE: Haha, yeah I think I'll be alright. Thanks guys.  


DAVE: Cool I'll be outside waiting for your cue to give you your big surprise-not-surprise appearance  


ROXY: I'll help Daves #2 and #3 finish up, hope u pick something cute June!  


JUNE: You got it!  


The three of you stand, and your two good friends exit your room and shut the door behind them. You listen to the sound of Roxy descending down the staircase, ignoring the urge to test out your breath powers inside your own home. You're back to where you were when you came in: deciding your outfit.

You turn around, and look at the pile of clothes on your bed. Your debut to the world (or at least to your friends and family) rests somewhere in this lump of shirts, skirts, and dresses. You take a deep breath and exhale after holding it for a few moments. There's no time like the present. You reach out for the first article of clothing you see.


	6. Chapter 6

It's five minutes after the designated time for the party to start, 6:00pm, and Roxy has just finished double-checking everything. The fairy lights are all set up and on, in all their technicolor glory. There's snacks for days, Roxy has the closest pizza place's number on speed dial, all the decorations are perfect, and there's ample room for everyone to roam around. 

The doorbell rings, and Roxy rushes to open the door for the guests. He already has an idea of who's arrived first, but he cant stop himself from being excited. He swings the front door of June's house open, and sees the two people he least expected to show up first.

A disgruntled Karkat and peppy Jade greet him. Jade is wearing a bright yellow sundress, which shows off her arms quite well, while Karkat has the same gray sweater you think he's worn the past three times you've seen him. Karkat looks tiny compared to Jade when they stand side by side, and Roxy finds it pretty cute.

ROXY: hey u 2 welcome to the party!!  


JADE: Hi Roxy! I hope we're not underdressed!  


ROXY: oh Jade ur fine this is a party not a wedding lmao  


KARKAT: EVEN IF THAT MATTERED, YOU DIDN'T EVEN GIVE ME A CHANCE TO CHANGE INTO ANYTHING BETTER BEFORE YOU TELEPORTED US HERE  


JADE: Oh, come on! You would've taken forever if I had just left you to your own devices.  


KARKAT: EVEN IF THAT WAS TRUE, WE'LL NEVER KNOW NOW WILL WE  
KARKAT: TELL ME JADE, IF I WAS WEARING NOTHING BUT A PAIR OF PAJAMA PANTS, WOULD YOU STILL HAVE TAKEN ME HERE  


JADE: I might've if you kept acting like a wiggler having a temper tantrum!  


KARKAT: I CAN'T FUCKING BELIEVE YOU  


ROXY: ok this is adorable but get in here u fuckin goofs  


Roxy holds the door open for the two, who enter with differing levels of enthusiasm. Jade takes long strides into the living room, admiring the decorations and lighting. Karkat looks like he's heading right for the kitchen.

JADE: Don't tell me we're the first ones here!  
JADE: I thought for sure Rose and Kanaya would get here before us.  


ROXY: yea I thought so 2 but here u are  


KARKAT: I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU HAD US RUSH TO GET TO A PARTY WITH NO PEOPLE  
KARKAT: JUST EXCELLENT USE OF TIME MANAGEMENT SKILLS THERE JADE. YOU SHOULD USURP DAVE'S STRANGLEHOLD ON TIME WHILE HE'S NOT LOOKING SO YOU CAN HOLD SUPREME AUTHORITY ON THE TWO MOST OVERPOWERED ASPECTS  


DAVE: What's this about stealing my shit  


Dave is coming down from the second floor, which Roxy realizes means that June has been dropped off at her destination. Or, will be. Dave takes off his #1 pin and captchalogues it, taking the last step in the stairs. No warning needed this time.

JADE: Oh hey Dave! Apparently we weren't the first ones here after all, Karkat.  


DAVE: Oh you are  
DAVE: I've been here setting shit up with Roxy for the past like four hours just damn near breaking my back with all this manual labor  
DAVE: Don't ever work under this dude he'll sell you to the highest bidder and reap all the sweet godly rewards from your hard work  


ROXY: lmao  


KARKAT: THIS IS WHAT YOU'VE BEEN DOING ALL DAY? I THOUGHT YOU LEFT EARLY TO GO GROCERY SHOPPING  


DAVE: Dude I've told y'all like a dozen times that I was gonna help out Rox for the party today  
DAVE: Did all that just go in one ear and out the other or were you two so distracted that I was just a hapless commoner passerby to a couple of victorian nobles or what  


JADE: I may have been… occupied by certain things. I have my reasons!  


KARKAT: I HAVE NO EXCUSE NOR DO I NEED ONE  
KARKAT: I'VE DONE NOTHING WRONG AND AS SUCH WILL BE DISREGARDING THIS ENTIRE CONVERSATION ONCE I LEAVE THE ROOM  
KARKAT: WHICH I'M DOING RIGHT NOW  
KARKAT: ROXY IS IT FINE IF I RAID THE FRIDGE BEFORE ANYONE GETS HERE  


ROXY: yea y not just make sure-  


The doorbell interrupts Roxy in the middle of his sentence with its second ring of the evening. Roxy walks towards the door, which he's only a few feet away from.

ROXY: hold that thought Karkat  


KARKAT: FUCK  


Roxy swings open the door, but with less force than he used the first time. As expected, Rose and Kanaya are here, in the casual but sophisticated manner Roxy knows them for. Rose is wearing a lovely purple and black ensemble, while Kanaya is dressed in a simple white blouse with a violet and red skirt that goes down to her ankles.

ROXY: welcome to the party u 2  
ROXY: sorry 2 say but u got beat 4 first place, Karkat and Jade just barely inched out ahead of u!  


ROSE: Well, there goes our perfect streak. How long did we keep that one going for?  


KANAYA: I Believe It Was Five, Eight If You Count The Events That Were Not Parties Of Any Sort  


ROSE: I suppose this means we were lacking. What do you think about arriving at least ten minutes early to every excursion we embark on from now on?  


KANAYA: That Would Give Us A Significant Advantage To Those Who Seek To Take Our Shared Crown For Themselves  
KANAYA: Also Maybe We Should Go Inside Now  


ROSE: An excellent idea.  


ROXY: lmao  


Roxy holds the door open once more, and the two newcomers walk in, elegant as can be. Roxy can't tell if it's deliberate or not. Just as Jade did before them, the two take a look around and briefly admire Roxy and Dave's handiwork. Dave sees Rose and Kanaya come in and gives them a quick "Sup" to which Rose replies with a similarly quick wave.

JADE: Hey you two! I don't usually beat you guys to things, but here I am!  


KANAYA: Yes We Saw You When We Came In  
KANAYA: Congratulations On Your Very Short And Temporary Victory  


ROSE: Trust us Jade, it won't be too hard to build up another record that surpasses our last.  


JADE: Oh, that's what you think. You'll see, I'll turn this into a record spanning years! Your time in the sun is over!  


Rose rolls her eyes, and the Maryam-Lalondes separate. Kanaya walks towards Jade, who is ever so slightly hovering above the ground, and strikes up a conversation about her dress. Rose makes her way to Dave, her brother having sat down on June's couch. Roxy follows her, and plops himself on the other end of the couch before Rose has the chance to sit down, leaving only the middle spot open.

DAVE: Hey Rose I saw you checking out me and Roxy's craftsmanship  
DAVE: I know practically half of the parties that happen on this planet get thrown by us but hey it never hurts to be reminded of who throws the best ones  


ROXY: u fuckin know it  


DAVE: Got this corner of the party market completely on lock  


ROSE: You say that, but I know a certain other Strider who could really damage your stranglehold on the party business when put in the right hands.  
ROSE: Those hands being mine, of course.  


Rose takes her seat in between Roxy and Dave, her posture noticeably better than either of the two beside her. Karkat sees everyone occupied and ducks into the kitchen.

ROXY: oh c'mon Rose, no reason to get so competitive! what if the 4 of us teamed up? there'd be nobody on the PLANET who could throw a better party than us  


DAVE: Roxy again with the brilliant ideas  
DAVE: This is why he's the brain and I'm the brawn  
DAVE: It's hard to compete with the prepwork of someone who can be in theoretically infinite places at once  


ROSE: I appreciate the offer you two, but I believe an easily mass produced army of robots would be a far better workforce than several instances of one unhealthy man in his early twenties. Immortal deific human beings with superpowers can only do so much.  


ROXY: dang she's got u there  


ROSE: Speaking of which, I recall you two being able to produce far more extravagant setups than what's currently on display. Any particular reason for that?  


Rose motions to the fairy lights and multicolored banners decorating the walls. Roxy moves closer to Rose and cups his hand to her ear.

ROXY: (it's cuz June didn't want anything 2 be 2 crazy, u know how it is)  


ROSE: That does explain things. One does have to consider who the party is for, after all.  


DAVE: We probably don't have to tell you not to mention to anyone else the reason for this party  


ROSE: Indeed, it would be pointless to tell me anything of the sort. I wasn't exactly planning to out one of my childhood friends to her family and friends anytime soon.  


DAVE: Alright cool just making sure  
DAVE: Oh yeah Rose you reminded me of something  
DAVE: You mentioned Dirk a minute ago but do you think he's actually gonna show  
DAVE: Last few times we invited him the dude straight up ignored us to work on whatever shit he's got going on right now  
DAVE: Like he's an enigma and all that yeah yeah but I'm starting to feel like the dudes just antisocial  


ROXY: oh yea that's true but that's not y he didn't come the last couple times  


DAVE: What was it then  


ROXY: we didn't bring any orange soda  


ROSE: Are you serious?  


ROXY: yup  
ROXY: got the fridge filled to the fuckin brim this time  
ROXY: pretty sure half the drinks in there are orange soda  


DAVE: Since when was there a fucking prerequisite for him even showing up  
DAVE: I'm almost 100% sure we had absolutely zero orange soda at the parties we threw a couple years ago and Dirk was always there  


ROXY: I think I know the reason 4 that 2 actually  


ROSE: I'm almost afraid to hear it.  


ROXY: so Dirk used to give us like "tests" n stuff to make us better at whatever shit he thought we needed to be better at  
ROXY: most obvious 1 was the brobot he sent Jake to spar with him and make him better at fighting and whatnot, but he gave me and Jane other stuff to do  
ROXY: it was usually like detective work for Jane, giving her a mission to figure out smth he thought would be fun for her  
ROXY: but as usual the man's got infinite irons in the fire so this shit usually had more than 1 purpose  
ROXY: Jane's mysteries would usually have like lessons at the end that she was supposed to piece together or w/e  
ROXY: most of my tests had 2 do with alcohol or hacking for obvious reasons  
ROXY: so the whole thing with the orange soda was like that  
ROXY: for w/e reason he's saying if we can't figure out that the reason he's not coming is none of his fav soda is here then he ain't comin at all  


DAVE: Yeah that sounds like something he would do but it also sounds kinda fucking pointless  


ROSE: It most likely is, but the man has his reasons for everything, regardless of whether those reasons are logical or not.  


ROXY: ain't that the fuckin truth  


As if to cue the end of their conversation, the doorbell rings, and Roxy jumps up, his mind already swaying to whoever the new guests might be. There's only so many people it could be, but Roxy finds it fun to guess sometimes. Roxy opens the door to see the devilishly handsome face of Jake English smiling at her. It looks like he got here in a hurry, and he's wearing a pretty simple t-shirt and a pair of brown cargo shorts.

JAKE: Roxy!  


ROXY: Jake!  


JAKE: My gosh, I'm terribly sorry I'm late my dear Roxy! My current director was absolutely monopolizing my time, and I barely managed to shimmy my way out of the studio undetected.  
JAKE: I hope I'm not underdressed? I feel as if my current line of clothing pales next to you and the ladies!  


ROXY: hey don't worry abt it! there's a few ppl who ain't even here yet, ur practically early  
ROXY: also it's a fuckin party dude wear what u want!  


JAKE: By gum, you're right! I suppose I got myself all worked up over nothing.  
JAKE: Well, now that we've averted the damnable fate of being out of fashion, I suppose it would be appropriate for me to enter the fray!  


ROXY: come on in!  


Jake comes in and gives Roxy a quick thankyou for holding open the door for him. Jade sees Jake enter and excitedly hovers over to him, having just finished her conversation with Kanaya, who bumps into Karkat, who has just come out of the kitchen.

JAKE: Jade!  


JADE: Jake!  


KARKAT: OH GOD THEY'RE ALREADY TOGETHER  
KARKAT: KANAYA WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE  


JAKE: Karkat!  


KARKAT: OH FUCK HE NOTICED ME  


KANAYA: Of Course He Did, Do You Still Not Know How Easily Your Voice Projects  


JAKE: Jade, we'll catch up in a minute, but first I absolutely have to wrangle my pal Karkat in for a good old fashioned hug!  


JADE: Sure, I'll give you a hand!  


KARKAT: DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE  
KARKAT: IF YOU TWO PULL THIS STUNT AGAIN I SWEAR ON EVERYTHING THAT'S GOOD ON THIS SHITTY KNOCKOFF PLANET THERE WILL BE HELL TO PAY  


Before Karkat can say anything more in protest, Jade teleports herself and Jake on either side of him, and the two immediately lock Karkat into a bear hug. Karkat's cheeks begin to flush red, both on account of his embarrassment and his sudden lack of breath. He tries to wrest his way free, thrashing and flailing angrily about, but his assailants heed that no mind.

The three Stri-Lalondes seated once more, snicker at the predicament Karkat is in. It's still just as amusing as the first few times they've seen it. After a moment, Jake and Jade release him, satisfied with their embrace. Karkat skitters a few feet away immediately after he's free, and takes only a few seconds to catch his breath before he opens his mouth to speak again.

KARKAT: I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU PEOPLE  
KARKAT: ACTUALLY, I TAKE THAT BACK. I ABSOLUTELY CAN BELIEVE THIS COMING FROM YOU TWO  
KARKAT: WHEN THE HELL DID JAKE GET SO FRIENDLY ANYWAYS, WASN'T HE JUST A WIGGLER IN ADULT'S CLOTHING FOR FOREVER  


JAKE: I'm not quite sure if that's an insult or a compliment, but I'll take it as the latter!  


KARKAT: IT WAS AN INSULT  


JAKE: Thank you for the praise old chap, I always knew we would end up as pals!  


KARKAT: THERE'S NO WAY I DESERVE THIS  
KARKAT: I KNOW I'M PRETTY MUCH A FAILURE BUT THERE'S NO FUCKING WAY I EVER DID SOMETHING SO ATROCIOUS TO DESERVE THE FRIENDSHIP OF JAKE ENGLISH  
KARKAT: EVERYTIME I SEE YOUR FACE I AM REMINDED OF WHAT HELL LOOKS LIKE  
KARKAT: AND LET ME TELL YOU, IT'S NOT FUCKING PRETTY!  


Roxy and his family members continue to watch in amusement at Karkat's tirade. It wouldn't be a party without at least a few. Roxy thinks to himself that the party will go off without a hitch, and settles deep into the couch.

\-----

Callie and Jane's arrival was over half an hour after everyone else, but was significantly more obvious. While the sun was setting and the party was in full force, the guests began to hear a loud whirring noise coming from outside. It was only there for a short minute however, and just as it was starting to fade away, the doorbell rang, telling everyone all they needed to know.

Roxy began to rush over to the front door, but Jade, who was closer, beat him to it. Roxy didn't slow down though, and an active day away from his significant other made him long to see their face as soon as possible. As Jade and Jane were exchanging pleasantries, Roxy stealthed past, and came into view right next to Callie.

Before anyone could utter a word of exclamation, Roxy had already braced Callie in a hug and planted a kiss on the top of their hard green head. Callie let out a sound of surprise that was only slightly embarrassing before greeting their boyfriend.

CALLIE: Hello Roxy!  


ROXY: heyyyy Callie :)  
ROXY: and hey Janey!  


JANE: Oh my! Hello, Roxy, I didn't quite see you there. Sorry about all the noise! Only so much you can do about the blades of a helicopter, hoo hoo!  


ROXY: lol it's all good, thx for bringing my Callie along  
ROXY: can only walk so far with those little legs!  


CALLIE: Roxy, please! My legs are qUite sUitable for everything I Use them for, inclUding transportation.  


ROXY: yea I know I just think ur cute  


JADE: Oh my god, you guys are adorable.  
JADE: But enough cuteness, the party awaits! Now, get in here before I have to drag you in!  


JANE: Well, we certainly don't want that, now do we Callie?  


CALLIE: We certainly do not! Inside it is.  


\-----

You look at yourself in the mirror. A perfectly clean shaven face, a very limited amount of makeup, no acne to speak of, and combed hair, which has grown longer than you've ever had it. It only goes down to your shoulders, but it's still a lot for you. You like it better this way.

You like your current outfit, too. You finally decided on that dark gray shirt with the blue and pink design, a deep blue skirt that goes right past your knees, and a pair of plain black leggings that Roxy gave you. It's colored much darker than what you usually wear, but you're trying it out. You own a lot of white and black clothes now thanks to Roxy, so you may as well use them.

Your glasses are the same as always, though. You haven't bothered to go out to get a new prescription for glasses that would mesh better with your new stuff. You could probably just alchemize a new pair for yourself, but you'd still have to go out to someone's place that actually has the equipment for that, so you may as well do it the old fashioned way.

Your shoes aren't anything special or new, either. Same old white sneakers that go with anything that you've been wearing for a year and a half now. Anything includes most of your new wardrobe, so you're not complaining. 

Dave gives your bedroom door a knock from outside, making you take your gaze away from your mirror. It falls on your door, which remains unopened. Dave said he would let you know when he got the right time to travel to, and it looks like he's just got it from his future self.

JUNE: You can come in.  


Dave opens the door and walks in, all cool-guy style. Which is to say, he walks in the same way he walks everywhere, normally. You giggle a little, but not loud enough for Dave to hear.

DAVE: Sup, you done picking out your shit  


JUNE: Yep, I think I'm good to go. How do I look?  


DAVE: Banging  


JUNE: Wow, really?  


DAVE: I mean yeah kinda  
DAVE: I was gonna say that no matter what but you do look pretty different  


JUNE: Oh.  


DAVE: That's a good thing trust me  
DAVE: You look like you actually enjoy what you're wearing instead of just having clothes so you're not naked  
DAVE: We've got standards and shit  


JUNE: Yeah, I guess you're right. Do you think-  


DAVE: Yeah before that, normally I'd be all for shooting the shit and complimenting you all day long like I'm running a charity dedicated to one sole trans girl but we are actually on a time limit  
DAVE: Like you've got 46 seconds until the first guests arrive  


JUNE: Oh shoot! Ok, let me make sure I have everything…  


DAVE: June I already know you've got all your shit, I can see the outline of your phone in your skirt pocket  


JUNE: Oh yeah, haha.  


DAVE: 31 seconds  


JUNE: Ok ok, I get it. Let's get this party started!  


DAVE: You got it  


Dave pulls out his timetables, puts his hand on your shoulder, and after a quick red flash, you're there. What little sunlight there was coming through the window is now completely gone, and you figure it's a few hours into the future. You reach into your pocket to check the time on your phone.

DAVE: Its 8:05pm  


JUNE: Oh, thanks.  


DAVE: No prob  


JUNE: So, do you, like...  


DAVE: I'm gonna head back to right after we left so I can enjoy the party in full  
DAVE: It's your turn to get down to business  
DAVE: That business being having a fun time with your friends after telling them you're a girl  
DAVE: And as someone who knows all of the same people you do I think I can tell you ahead of time that business is gonna be fucking booming  
DAVE: Seriously thinking about investing in whatever shit you've got cause you've clearly got this on lock  


JUNE: Yeah, I hope you're right Dave. Have fun at the party!  


Dave gives you a thumbs up and travels back, leaving you alone in your room. You hear some activity downstairs, and you realize it's Roxy hyping everyone up for you. Your heart is beating crazy fast. You take a deep breath, hold it for a second, and slowly exhale it. You can do this.

You open your bedroom door, and before you can think or look at anyone else, you start making your way down the staircase, but not too fast. A few steps down, you bring your eyes to the small group of friends and family that's gathered here. They are all looking at you. You read their expressions in a single second.

Roxy, Jane, and Callie are grouped up, close to the base of the stairs. Roxy looks as happy as can be, Jane looks like someone just told her the sky had turned purple, and Callie just looks happy to be here. Their smiles make you grin a little in spite of yourself.

Rose, Jade, Kanaya, and Jake are all together. Rose is giving you her signature knowing smile, her wife is giving you the opposite: a bewildered expression combined with a slightly gaping mouth. You don't give yourself enough time to wonder about that. Jake and Jade have a similar expression, that of an excited family member that has no idea what's happening. It's pretty comical.

Closer to the kitchen, Karkat is holding a big bottle of soda. It looks like he wasn't expecting you to come out at that moment, because his face looks just like that time you teleported to the meteor and socked Vriska. You'll have to make fun of him for that later.

Further away, Dave and Dirk are standing shoulder to shoulder, both pretty expressionless. You know what Dave thinks, but you don't really know Dirk that well. It doesn't look like he's upset or anything, so that's good. 

Your feet touch the last step on the staircase, and you stop just before reaching the bottom. You summon up your courage and begin to speak, projecting your voice a little shakily.

JUNE: Hey everyone! This is what the party was about. I'm a girl now! Also, my name is June now. Thanks for coming, haha.  


Your voice cracked a little at the end, but that wasn't so bad. There are a couple seconds of deafening silence, before Roxy squeals in excitement and rushes forward to give you an attack hug. His arms wrap around your stomach, and you let out a laugh. You smile a little, and look back at everyone.

ROXY: Aaaaaaa I'm so happy for you June!!  


ROSE: Indeed. Congratulations, June. Dear, if you would.  


KANAYA: Oh, Yes. Ahem, You Look Great June. If I Didn't Know Any Better I Might Say You Look Like A Completely Different Person  


JADE: Wow!! This is so crazy, since when could you rock something like that?  


JUNE: Oh, I guess since I was 13, technically?  


JADE: Well you look fantastic! Come here!  


Jade teleports herself right next to you and gives you a bear hug, almost knocking the wind out of you, though the force of the hug doesn't make it uncomfortable. You don't remember her being this strong on the ship!

JAKE: Great gadzooks! What a discovery this is! Jo- June, my good fellow! Er, not fellow anymore, I suppose. My friend! I couldn't be happier for you!  


Jade let's you escape her embrace, and you walk over to Jake, whose bright smile seems to make you grin in turn. He clasps his hand to your shoulder, which you're sure is going to leave a mark. Since when did your family get so strong?

JUNE: Hehe, thanks Jake. Hey, I know this is kind of out of nowhere, but Karkat gave me a movie he said I should watch. Do you think that maybe we could watch it together?  


JAKE: By jove, that sounds incredible! I can't imagine a better way to get caught up. Anytime you'd like, and I'm only a phone call away!  


KARKAT: DO YOU MEAN THAT ONE MOVIE YOU SLEPT THROUGH  


Karkat makes his way over to your conversation, and your head turns to him. He seems to have abandoned the big container of soda he was nursing in favor of discussing movies. You catch Jane looking in your direction out of the corner of your eye.

KARKAT: THE TITLE IS TOO LONG TO SAY NOW BUT IT IS SERIOUSLY ONE OF THE BEST MOVIES I'VE EVER SEEN  
KARKAT: CONSIDER THIS MY ACCIDENTAL COMING OUT PRESENT TO YOU EGBERT  
KARKAT: CONGRATS ON THAT, BY THE WAY  


JUNE: Haha, thanks Karkat. That movie probably is pretty good.  


JAKE: Well, now we absolutely have to watch it! I don't know a single thing about it, and yet I feel as if it's calling out to me, demanding to be watched with one or multiple friends.  
JAKE: Or, would you rather it be just us two?  


JUNE: Just us, thanks.  


JAKE: Well, that does sound dashing, but don't make me feel like I'm the only one here, June. I see someone's coming around to give you her own congratulations!  


Karkat unsubtly exits from the conversation while you turn around, and see Jane Crocker has stepped a few feet away from you. She just looks at you with a pained expression for a moment, and you begin to worry. Just as soon as you do, though, she quickly steps forward and gets you in your third hug of the night. You relax, and hug her back. You've wished you were closer to Jane over the years, but it's possible you were closer than you thought.

Jane pulls away, and begins to tearfully talk to you for what may be the first time in months.

JANE: Oh, June, I'm so sorry!  


JUNE: Huh? What for?  


JANE: When you came down from your room a few minutes ago in that outfit, for a moment I thought to myself that you may have been making a fool of yourself! That maybe, you had no idea what you were doing, and you were making a terrible mistake.  
JANE: But then I saw how much you were smiling, how clearly happy you are, and I knew I was wrong as could be right away. I can tell just by looking at you how that you're so much more comfortable than the last time I saw you in person.  
JANE: I shouldn't have doubted you, June. Even if we don't talk much, you're family. I should have trusted you from the start. I should have- Oh!  


You hug her this time, as hard as you can. Your eyes have started to tear up, but you try your hardest to keep it in. You don't want your makeup to be ruined, Roxy spent like 20 minutes doing that for you. You sniff, and talk without letting go of the hug.

JUNE: Its not a big deal, Jane. As long as we can still be family, I think I'll be alright. I was kind of expecting worse actually, haha.  


You realize how that might sound, and let go of the hug to look Jane in the face.

JUNE: Not from you specifically! Just, like, in general. I don't really know why, but that's just what it felt like was going to happen.  


Your laugh there was pretty shaky, and Jake, Jane, and Jade are now all next to you, looking with empathetic eyes. You weren't expecting this all at once, and you unconsciously start to scratch the back or your head.

JAKE: Why, we've got no good reason to treat you any worse now, June. That would just be preposterous!  


JADE: Right, you're my sister, June. Man, how cool is that, I've got my very own younger sister now! What do sisters even do together, I wonder?  


Your heart skips a beat at Jade calling you her sister, and for a moment you just stand there with stars in your eyes as your family starts to lavish compliments and praise onto you. You take it all in, hanging on their every word. Everything about your face, your hair, your new look, everytime you're called daughter or sister, it all blends together into one delicious concoction that goes right to your heart.

Oh no, you think to yourself, you need to say something. You manage to sniffle out the next sentence.

JUNE: Hey, ah, this is great and all, but if you guys keep doing that, I think I'm gonna cry a little.  


JAKE: Oh cripes, sorry dear June. Got a bit carried away with the hair and whatnot!  


JUNE: Heh, it's ok. For some reason that's been easier to do lately.  
JUNE: Anyways, I think I'm gonna say hi to Dave and his bro for a bit. Where are they?  


JANE: Oh, those two have been standing over there in that corner, doing whatever Striders do.  


Jane looks over towards the study, and you follow her gaze, finding them next to each other in the doorway of the study, each holding a drink. You thank Jane and begin to make your way over to them.

The two notice you, but don't make any obvious visible indication that they have. Classic. You wave a bit before greeting them.

JUNE: Hey guys. How's it going?  


DAVE: Pretty good J-dog  
DAVE: Saw you coming down that staircase like you were a goddamn movie star who ain't used to the massive crowds of fans she draws yet  
DAVE: Seriously did you see how many people's jaws dropped like they were made of fuckin lead, I wish I had set up cameras in advance so I could've gotten that all on film  
DAVE: But yeah everyone got a good look at your new digs thanks to the weird absence of a handrail on your staircase  
DAVE: I would've warned you about the stairs but it was more like you were on a vertical red carpet that just so happened to have steps so there was never really any danger to begin with  
DAVE: Speaking of danger are you just gonna let me keep talking cause if you don't put a stop to this runaway train that's attached itself to my mouth it's just gonna keep on going and sooner or later we're gonna run into a certain psychologist that gets way too much attention  


JUNE: Sure Dave. When did everyone get to the party? You were here from the start, right?  


DAVE: Yeah people got here pretty fast  
DAVE: Jane got here on a damn helicopter with Callie after everyone but Dirk was already here  
DAVE: Thought your house was gonna get bombed to shit with all us in it but nah it was just more obnoxious Crockercorp nonsense  


You stiffen up a bit after hearing that, but quickly right yourself after Dave shifts his gaze from the ground to you. At least, you think he's looking at you now. You're pretty sure he didn't notice.

JUNE: Is a helicopter really necessary? Jane can fly like the rest of us, right? I know Callie can't, but we've got like, at least three people who can teleport.  


DAVE: Oh you have no idea June, that gal gets so much unnecessary shit done  
DAVE: If you really wanna get into it, there's  


DIRK: How about we don't get into it, Dave. I don't think June wants to hear your talk about the economy, as riveting as it is. I'm sure anyone else in this building could recite your entire speech and a half, word for word.  


DAVE: Yeah probably  


DIRK: Congratulations on the new name by the way, June. It fits.  


JUNE: Oh! I, uh, thanks, I guess.  


DIRK: You guess?  


JUNE: Yeah. Ok, this is gonna sound really dumb, but for some reason I thought you weren't going to be cool about this?  


DAVE: What  


DIRK: Is there anything I did to give you that impression?  


JUNE: No, not really. Like, don't get me wrong, I didn't want you to be weird about it. I just, I don't know, got the feeling you would have a problem with it.  
JUNE: I feel pretty stupid for thinking that now, though.  


DIRK: While I can't recall anything in recent memory that I might've done that would've convinced you of this, I'll make it clear that I have no problem at all with you being trans. Even if I did, I don't think I could justify giving you shit at your own coming out party.  
DIRK: I would guess at your reasoning for this assumption, but I'll leave the picking of both your brain and mine to my ectobiological daughter.  


JUNE: Yeah, you're probably right.  


You scratch the back of your head, unsure of what to say next. It really is hard to get a read on this dude. Whatever feeling you had about Dirk before is mostly gone though, so you decide to move on and enjoy the party, maybe talk to Kanaya and Callie a bit. You know them even less than you do Dirk, which is kind of sad given how supportive Callie has been to you.

You cough a bit, and realize Dave and Dirk are kind of looking at you and not saying anything. You've probably just been staring at Dirk like a weirdo. You cough a bit and force yourself to say something to make up for the silence.

JUNE: I, uh, I'm gonna go talk to Callie and Roxy. See what's been going on with them.  


DAVE: Oh ok  


DIRK: Don't get him too excited, I don't want this party to get too out of hand.  


DAVE: Fuck you're right, last couple times Roxy got so carried away we had to shut things down early  
DAVE: His sense of early is like 1am but still  
DAVE: Dude gets real into his parties  


JUNE: I'll keep that in mind. See you guys later!  


You step away from the Striders and see Rose, Roxy, Kanaya, and Callie grouped together. They look like they're pretty embroiled in conversation, and you get the feeling you don't want to interrupt whatever they're talking about, like you'd be intruding on something you're not a part of.

You remember that you told the Striders you just left that you were going to talk to Callie and Roxy, and there they are. It would feel worse to retreat back to the awkward mood you created with them than to insert yourself into a heated fourway conversation however, so you step towards the four of them.

It doesn't look like any of them noticed you, despite your close proximity. You try to get an idea on what they're talking about, but trying to understand what's going out with no context is just going to hurt your brain. You let out what is assuredly an inaudible sigh, and turn around to look for your sister and extended family. 

They don't seem to be anywhere, and it occurs to you that they might be outside. It makes sense, given the outdoorsy nature of Jade and Jake. You laugh to yourself a little as you walk away from your half attempt at conversing with the group. You remember seeing Karkat with a comically large bottle of soda, and decide to head to the kitchen.

To your surprise, Karkat is actually in here. He's set aside his drink and has sat down on one of your kitchen chairs which you know isn't really that comfortable. He notices you begin to walk towards him, and gets in the first word before you.

KARKAT: WELL LOOK WHO IT IS. THE WOMAN OF THE HOUR  
KARKAT: WELCOME, JUNE, TO THE MOST VALUABLE ROOM IN THIS HOUSE  


JUNE: Hey Karkat. What do you mean by valuable?  


KARKAT: THIS ROOM IS A TREASURE TROVE, JUNE. DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MANY HUMAN SNACKS AND DRINKS THERE ARE STOWED AWAY HERE?  
KARKAT: ROXY REALLY STOCKED YOUR SHIT UP  


JUNE: Wow, really? What kinds of drinks?  


KARKAT: TAKE A LOOK, YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED  


You take a few steps towards your fridge and open it, peering the inside. Sure enough, it's filled to the brim, despite Karkat having taken out that huge bottle of soda earlier. There's quite the variety of beverages, mostly soda, but with some alcohol too. It strikes you as odd that half of this is all orange soda of various brands, but it's not that big of a deal. Maybe Roxy really likes this particular flavor? You take one at random out and open it.

It's not bad. Fizzy and cold, like all soda should be. As you take a few more sips, you realize this is actually pretty good. You definitely have your favorites over this, though. You close the door of the fridge and go to sit down next to Karkat, who makes a grunt in protest but nothing else.

KARKAT: SEE WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT?  
KARKAT: YOU'RE ONE LUCKY FUCKER, JUNE. IF THIS WAS ANYBODY ELSE'S PARTY, I'D HAVE ALREADY CAPTCHALOGUED EVERYTHING IN THERE AND MADE MY ESCAPE  


JUNE: What, why? I know you and Dave have alchemization equipment somewhere in your house. Couldn't you just make this stuff yourself for basically nothing?  


KARKAT: THIS IS SOMETHING YOU HAVE TO LEARN FROM EXPERIENCE, JUNE. EVEN IF YOU HAVE THE EXACT SAME THING, FOOD OR OTHERWISE, TAKING SOMETHING FROM SOMEONE ELSE AND USING IT YOURSELF FEELS WAY BETTER THAN GETTING IT NORMALLY  
KARKAT: THE NORMALLY MEDIOCRE ORANGE SODA THAT NOW CLOGS YOUR HUNGER TRUNK BECOMES AN INCREDIBLE DRINK OF WONDER IF IT BELONGS TO SOMEONE ELSE  
KARKAT: WHICH IS EXACTLY WHY I'VE BEEN IN HERE. THERE'S NO WAY I'M GIVING UP THIS MUCH UNGUARDED SHIT, ESPECIALLY IF YOU, THE OWNER OF SAID SHIT, IS FINE WITH WATCHING ME DRINKING IT IN FRONT OF HER  


JUNE: I'm not going to lie, Karkat. That all sounds pretty dumb!  


KARKAT: HOW DARE YOU.  


JUNE: Also, I'm pretty sure everyone else isn't gonna come in here? It looked like they've all got their drinks and stuff already.  
JUNE: Wouldn't this be a good chance to catch up with people?  


KARKAT: OK JUNE, I KNOW YOU DON'T KNOW THIS SINCE YOU'VE BECOME A BIT OF A SOCIAL OUTCAST RECENTLY, BUT I ALREADY TALK TO THESE PEOPLE ENOUGH  
KARKAT: IT IS FRANKLY ABSURD THE AMOUNT OF QUALITY BONDING TIME I SPEND WITH YOUR WEIRD HUMAN RELATIVES AND NOT ACTUALLY DOING ANY GOVERNMENTAL WORK  
KARKAT: NOT THAT I BLAME YOU FOR STAYING OUT OF IT, BY THE WAY. PEACE AND QUIET SOUNDS FUCKING GREAT FROM WHERE I'M SITTING.  
KARKAT: BUT SERIOUSLY, I GET ALONG WELL ENOUGH. ANY MORE THAN THIS IS JUST EXCESS  
KARKAT: HERE, LOOK AT MY PALMHUSK. TAKE A FUCKING GANDER AT HOW MANY CALLS I'VE GOTTEN IN THE PAST FEW DAYS ALONE  


He hands you his phone, which is set to show all of his received and missing calls. You scroll down, and down, and down, and begin to realize that you're only hitting three days ago after seeing dozens of phone calls. You hand it back to him, and he shoves it in his pocket.

JUNE: Jeez, that was a lot.  


KARKAT: YEAH, TELL ME ABOUT IT.  


JUNE: I guess that makes sense why you'd like the idea of just relaxing for a while. You take days off, right?  


KARKAT: OF COURSE, HOW DO YOU THINK I HAVEN'T GONE INSANE YET?  
KARKAT: IT FEELS LIKE THE WORK ALREADY NEEDED TO BE DONE, AND I WAS SOMEHOW THE BEST GUY TO DO IT. IT'S PRETTY STRESSFUL  


JUNE: I think your situation sounds pretty nice, though. You've got all these people that rely on you, and you're making a pretty big impact on the world.  
JUNE: I don't know exactly what you do, but it sounds like all the things you do are pretty important.  


KARKAT: I GUESS.  


Karkat shrugs and rolls his eyes at the same time, a gesture that looks pretty relaxed for him. For some reason, you find yourself getting to be pretty jealous of Karkat. You're uncomfortable feeling that way about one of your friends, but you can't exactly do anything but shove that down where it can't hurt his feelings. Right down into a deep, dark pit where emotions go and don't come back.

You fail to shove it down.

JUNE: I mean, I think that's a pretty good way to live. You know what you have to do, and even if it's a lot, you feel satisfied when you're done with it. Right?  


KARKAT: SURE? IT'S JUST SOMETHING I DO BECAUSE I HAVE TO DO IT, JUNE.  


JUNE: Really? Couldn't you just, you know, stop? If you really wanted to, I don't think anyone could really force you to do your job.  


Karkat fiddles with his phone, the screen turned off. He taps his fingers against it and rotates it in his hand, making subtle clacking sounds against his fingertips.

KARKAT: TECHNICALLY YOU'RE RIGHT, BUT THIS IS MY RESPONSIBILITY. IT'S NOT SOMETHING I COULD JUST DUMP OFF TO SOME RANDOM SCHMUCK AND EXPECT THEM TO DO A GOOD JOB.  
KARKAT: BUT I DON'T DENY THAT SOMETIMES I JUST WANT TO DROP IT AND GO OFF THE GRID LIKE YOU.  


JUNE: Oh, well, it's not actually all it's cracked up to be.  


KARKAT: OH, PLEASE. WE LIVE IN A POST-SCARCITY UTOPIA, AND YOU HAVE NO OBLIGATIONS OR RESPONSIBILITIES. YOU CAN DO WHATEVER YOU WANT, WHENEVER YOU WANT, AND NOBODY CAN TELL YOU OTHERWISE.  
KARKAT: YOU ARE LIVING THE FUCKING DREAM EGBERT.  


JUNE: I mean, I guess? Sure, it's nice to have a lot of time. I've caught up on basically every movie I've wanted to watch since I got here.  
JUNE: But it's not really as great as you're making it out to be, haha.  


KARKAT: WELL, DO TELL, WHAT PART OF COMPLETE FREEDOM AND INFINITE POSSIBILITIES ISN'T ALL THAT GREAT?  


JUNE: I guess the deniability?  
JUNE: Like, I can pretty much go anywhere at any time, not even including retcon powers. I've been calling Rose at least once a week for a while, but I didn't do anything like that for a long time.  
JUNE: So, if nobody hears from me for a while, its not really anything to worry about. Same as usual. June is doing June things, so there's nothing out of the ordinary there.  
JUNE: But it's not like it's always like that. I know everyone has their own stuff to deal with, and not hearing from me isn't exactly cause for panic.  
JUNE: But, what if I actually went missing? I know I'm a god and everything, but hypothetically, if something happened to me, how long would it take someone to notice something was wrong? How many missed phone calls or unanswered messages would it take to make someone actually show up at my house, let alone go looking for me?  
JUNE: If you or Rose or Jake went missing, people would notice right away! There would be search parties, nationwide missing posters, the works.  
JUNE: I've thought about how many people would go looking for me, and I realized it would probably be less than the number of people that came to this party.  
JUNE: I think, if I just suddenly disappeared one day, it would take so long for everyone to realize that I was gone that nobody would really care about me anymore.  


KARKAT: JUNE, WHAT THE FUCK?  


Oh crap, you really didn't mean to say all of that. Of course you had to open your big mouth and say something stupid again. Karkat is looking at you like you've just seriously insulted him. You really weren't trying to upset him! What part of what you said made him angry? Was it all of it? Oh god, you bet you just ruined your own party.

KARKAT: DID YOU HIT YOUR HEAD ON SOMETHING INBETWEEN THE LAST TIME I SAW YOU?  


JUNE: I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I didn't mean-  


KARKAT: I'M NOT MAD AT YOU, DUMBASS.  


JUNE: What? I thought…  


KARKAT: LISTEN, DO YOU SERIOUSLY THINK NOBODY WOULD NOTICE IF YOU JUST POPPED OUT OF EXISTENCE? THAT THERE WOULDN'T BE SOMEONE STUBBORN ENOUGH TO GO LOOKING FOR YOU WHEN YOU COULD BE LITERALLY ANYWHERE IN REALITY?  
KARKAT: I CAN THINK OF AT LEAST FIVE, OFF THE TOP OF MY THINKPAN.  
KARKAT: DAVE, JADE, AND ROSE WOULD OBVIOUSLY MAKE UP SOME GAMEPLAN AND TRY TO FIND YOU. IT WOULD PROBABLY FAIL, BUT THEY WOULD DO IT.  
KARKAT: KANAYA WOULD MOST LIKELY COME ALONG WITH HER MATESPRIT, FOR OBVIOUS REASONS, AND I WOULD GET DRAGGED ALONG BY DAVE BECAUSE HE WOULD THINK FINDING YOU IS INFINITELY MORE IMPORTANT THAN RUNNING A COUNTRY.  
KARKAT: NOT THAT THAT'S WHAT I DO, BUT IT'S WHAT DAVE THINKS I DO.  
KARKAT. YOU KNOW WHAT, JAKE WOULD PROBABLY COME ALONG FOR THE RIDE TOO, CAUSE LOOKING FOR A LOST DESCENDANT WHO COULD BE HIDING ANYWHERE SOUNDS LIKE THE KIND OF THING HE WOULD BE INTO.  
KARKAT: DOES THAT MAKE SENSE TO YOU, OR HAVE YOU ACTUALLY BECOME AN IMBECILE?  


You look at Karkat and blink a couple times. What he's saying definitely does make sense, but for some reason, you can't make yourself completely believe it. He's definitely waiting for you to respond positively though, so you don't leave him hanging.

JUNE: Yeah, I guess that does make sense. It was probably stupid to think all of that, huh?  


KARKAT: YES, ABSOLUTELY. BE GRATEFUL YOU AREN'T CONVINCED OF THAT NONSENSE ANYMORE SO YOU CAN PROPERLY ENJOY THE PARTY.  
KARKAT: WHICH I HOPEFULLY DON'T NEED TO REMIND YOU, IS FOR YOU  


JUNE: Heh. Yeah, you're right. Maybe I should go see if I can find Jade. Her and Jake have probably tired out Jane with nobody to take up their attention.  


KARKAT: WELL. DON'T GO DOING HER ANY FAVORS  
KARKAT: BUT YEAH GO FOR IT  
KARKAT: IF YOU'LL EXCUSE ME, I HAVE TO HOARD THE REST OF THIS SODA NOW, SO GET OUT OF HERE.  


JUNE: Sure. See you later Karkat!  


You stand up, captchalogue your drink, and open the window. You turn yourself into wind, and push yourself outside. You meld yourself with the light breeze, and feel around for the static presence of your sister. Thin tendrils of air float here and there around your house, and you notice her and two others on your balcony. You concentrate your wind on one spot where you can't feel anything else and reform.

Everything snaps into place, and you see Jade, Jake, and Jane standing together, all three now looking at you.

JUNE: Hey guys!  


\-----

You lean against the railing of your balcony, listening to the sounds of your friends enjoying themselves inside. Your family went back in a few minutes ago, and you decided to stay up here by yourself for a bit. You finish the last of your drink and captchalogue the empty can, the fizziness sitting well in your stomach. Maybe soda isn't so bad for you after all.

The muscles in your arms and legs feel somewhat strained, and you realize you've been standing and walking around for a while. You decide your balcony can't be that bad of a place to rest, and you slowly sit down, your back against the railing. Your head is just over the top though, so you let gravity take the weight of your head where it will. Turns out that just leads to your neck bent downward and the underlying fear that this is terrible for your posture.

You let it happen though, it's not like you've got a pillow in your sylladex. You make a mental note to always have at least one pillow captchalogued for times like these. Anytime you need to sit on a soft surface or rest your head on an otherwise flat and hard plane? Boom, pillow. This just strikes you as common sense now, and you're wondering why you haven't been doing this for a long time. Imagine all the times you were laying on the ground of your house when you could've had a pillow ready to go! 

You wonder if anyone else has something like that prepared. Something that would be useful when you really need it, so you always keep one on you? Rose and Kanaya seem like they've got their stuff together, maybe they have something like that? 

You don't even know what someone would need in an emergency besides a pillow. Food, maybe? Does food go bad in your sylladex? It feels like it would have come up in conversation with Jade on the ship. How have you never thought about this before? Clearly, this is something that deserves an investigation.

Yeah, you've gotta give this your full attention. Just as soon as you get up. Man, you could really use a pillow. 

Your neck is gonna be so cramped...

_Aww, looks like You got all tuckered out. I thought I wasn't going to get through to You until later, but I'm glad the coming out went well. Especially since it's what's letting me talk right now._

__

_I'll keep this short, though. The party isn't over and someone else is bound to find You up here, and I have a feeling We will be able to reconnect soon. Until then, just keep doing what You're doing._

__

__

__

_Oh, right. Sorry about that whole coughing thing earlier. You'll have to do it a lot, and I know it sucks, but try to bear with it. It'll all be worth it in the end, trust me._

____

__

____

_Looks like I was right. Don't keep them waiting, alright? They want to see You more than they let on._

____

____

____

You feel someone shaking your shoulder, and you blink the sleep out of your eyes. You slowly crane your neck upwards to see the face of Rose a few feet away from you with a neutral expression.

____

ROSE: Well, looks like she was just sleeping. False alarm, Kanaya.  


____

KANAYA: Damn  
KANAYA: I Was Hoping There Was Perhaps A Medical Emergency That Would Call Off This Party  
KANAYA: It Is Just So Awful Talking To All The People I Know And Having Fun With Friends  


____

ROSE: Have I ever told you how good you've become at sarcasm, Kanaya?  


____

KANAYA: Yes Several Times  
KANAYA: Though It Only Feels Like You Mean It Half Of The Time  


____

ROSE: It looks like you still have much to learn, dear.  


____

JUNE: Hey, Rose, how long was I asleep for?  


____

You feel mostly awake now, enough to hold a conversation. There's a couple creaks in your neck, which you expected. You're glad the two were talking long enough for you to get your bearings. You suspect that may have been on purpose.

____

ROSE: Its currently after 9pm, so it's likely you've been asleep at least an hour, possibly more so. It depends on how soon you fell into dreamland after your three rambunctious family members came back inside.  


____

JUNE: Oh, that was like a few minutes after they left. Guess I was pretty tired, huh?  


____

ROSE: I wouldn't be so sure. You seemed pretty active despite your slumber.  


____

JUNE: What do you mean?  


____

ROSE: You seemed to be mumbling something, though I couldn't make out anything coherent before I woke you up.  


____

JUNE: Huh. Wonder what that's all about.  


____

ROSE: I'd love to speculate, but I'm afraid it's a tad windy out here, and I would prefer us all to be inside before I make a spectacle out of you talking in your sleep.  


____

KANAYA: Yes Is That Not Something You Control June Or Was I Mistaken In My Understanding Of Your Powers That Pertain Specifically To Wind And Air  


____

JUNE: No, you're right. Hold on a second.  


____

You stand up, brush off your skirt, and crack your neck. You're probably going to sleep terribly tonight, but you don't ponder that for long, as your thoughts shift to the air surrounding you and your two friends. You hold out your hand nonchalantly, and a soft blue glow comes from your palm.

____

You redirect the flow of the air around your house to shift in slightly different directions. The waves in the air flow and drop a bit, and just as you feel the air turn still, your ears pop.

____

JUNE: Oops.  


____

ROSE: June, did you just change the air pressure or was that just me?  


____

KANAYA: It Is Not Just You  


____

JUNE: Yeah, sorry about that. Still not too used to the whole 'changing the weather' thing. Didn't even know I could do that in ways that weren't big tornados until recently.  


____

ROSE: I suddenly feel the need to ask you several questions about what you've just said, but as I've stated, I would rather do that inside.  
ROSE: Full transparency, Dave asked me in a way that I would describe as 'inelegant' to check on you. It appears he's worried about your wellbeing, though from what I've seen the only thing you suffer from is a drastic and severe case of a rare disease ancient humans called "loneliness".  
ROSE: Luckily, this is easily cured by being around other human beings and the occasional alien while experiencing some form of social interaction. Now, may I direct you to the door that leads inside your humble abode?  


____

JUNE: Heh, yeah, no need to tell me twice. Let's go inside.  


____

Kanaya is the closest to the door, and she opens it for you and Rose. How polite. You quietly thank her as you pass her by. She closes the door behind her, and the three of you make your way back downstairs. You notice the sound of music playing as you enter. It's some pop song you haven't heard before, but its not bad. As you look at the back of Rose's head as she gets to the start of the stairs, you ask her a question, but not loudly.

____

JUNE: Hey, were you lying about Dave being worried about me?  


____

ROSE: Pardon?  


____

JUNE: I feel like Dave is just too cool to ask you something like that directly, and I don't want you going and ruining his reputation while he's not around to defend himself.  


____

Rose chuckles, and turns her head to face you as you both begin to descend to the first floor.

____

ROSE: My apologies, I had forgotten there was still some vestigial ruin of his Strider coolguy persona left in your mind.  
ROSE: I assure you, Dave's coolness attribute has greatly diminished since the days of our youth.  


____

JUNE: What, no way! Dave is still definitely cool.  


____

KANAYA: I'm Sorry But I Find It Difficult To Believe For Even A Moment That Dave Was Ever "Cool"  


____

Now at the bottom of the stairs, you take a look at what's happened since your unintentional nap. There seems to have been a spill of some nebulous drink on your carpet, and everyone looks like they're attentively watching something in the center of your living room.

____

Karkat, Dirk, and Dave are all having what sounds like a very heated conversation. Dirk is standing motionless, articulating whatever point he's making in his usual stoic manner, while Dave and Karkat are clearly very fired up. You think they're talking about god tier clothes? Something about capes? You try to listen in before Kanaya continues her train of thought.

____

KANAYA: Perhaps It's Possible That Humans Have A Different Definition Of Cool Than Trolls Do  
KANAYA: In Which Case I Might Be Inclined To Believe That Whatever Behavior Dave Is Currently Displaying Is Attributable To His Overwhelming Coolness  
KANAYA: Darling Wife Of Mine Would You Mind Enlightening Us On This Potential Cultural Mismatch  


____

ROSE: There is no such thing happening dear, this is simply my brother in his natural state. Which is to say, trying to hide how very clearly and incomprehensibly invested he is in whatever he's gotten himself into.  
ROSE: Par for the course, really.  


____

KANAYA: Well I'm Glad That Is All Cleared Up  


____

JUNE: What! No, ok, I'm sure whatever Dave is talking about is probably perfectly reasonable, and even if it wasn't, it doesn't make him any less of a cool guy.  
JUNE: Here, I'll prove it.  


____

KANAYA: No Wait I Wanted Them To Continue To Be Entertaining  


____

You march over to where the three heated conversationalists are standing. It looks like only Dirk noticed you, and so you tap Dave on the shoulder from behind. He jumps about a foot in the air, and quickly turns around to see you standing there. Ok, not a great start.

____

DAVE: Jesus Christ mind giving a dude some warning before sneaking up on them like that  
DAVE: Damn near jumped out of my skin like a fuckin reptile ready to shed it's whole outer layer  
DAVE: Don't go jump starting my whole cycle of growth like that  


____

KARKAT: HOLD ON I STILL HAVEN'T MADE MY POINT YET  


____

JUNE: Jeez, you're making it really hard to defend you here, Dave.  


____

DAVE: Defend me from who  
DAVE: How many accusations are coming my way that you've gotta cover my ass from the sidelines like a new recruit that just finished their training yesterday  


____

JUNE: Well, Rose and Kanaya seem to be in agreement that you're not a cool dude anymore.  
JUNE: Or never were, apparently!  
JUNE: But I know that's all lies, so I'm not too worried about it.  


____

KARKAT: AHAHAHAHAHA ARE YOU SERIOUS  


____

DAVE: Oh that's what this is about  
DAVE: Dirk you mind if I leave you with Karkat for a sec cause I clearly have to deal with this  


____

DIRK: Go on ahead.  


____

DAVE: Alright cool  
DAVE: So June what do you think the appropriate response would be when you learn that someone's been dissing you behind your back  
DAVE: Especially if it's an accusation on your status as one who possesses the attribute of coolness  


____

JUNE: Well, I think you should explain how they're wrong with reasonable evidence and convince them over conversation.  


____

DAVE: You'd think so but nah it's not that at all  
DAVE: In situations like this there's only one response that lets you win out over your accuser and retain your reputation  
DAVE: And that is to simply not respond at all  
DAVE: Without even saying anything, you've told them that what they're saying isn't even worth your time  
DAVE: All of that is simply above you as the coolest motherfucker this side of Earth C  
DAVE: To engage at all is to make it clear to any other haters out there that you're on the same level as them which is clearly not the case  
DAVE: To be clear I'm talking specifically about level of coolness, not like, worthiness as a human or whatever  
DAVE: I appreciate you going to bat for me but frankly June it's just not needed at all  
DAVE: I've already got the perfect defence strategy  


____

JUNE: Wow, you're totally right Dave! That makes perfect sense. No wonder I didn't know the right answer, you're clearly just leagues ahead in the cool department.  
JUNE: So I didn't even need to say anything, huh?  


____

DAVE: Pretty much  
DAVE: But in honor of your honesty and willingness to defend your bro I grant you the honorary title of  
DAVE: Well I was gonna say galpal but apparently that doesn't mean what I thought it meant  


____

JUNE: Doesn't it just mean the girl version of bro?  


____

DAVE: Well yeah that's what I thought but apparently it means something else according to Roxy  


____

JUNE: Aww. I kind of wanted to be your galpal, though.  


____

DAVE: You know what, fuck it  
DAVE: As far as I'm concerned Roxy never said that and you're my galpal for life  
DAVE: Now bring it here  


____

Dave holds up his fist for a bump, and you don't leave him hanging for even a second. You give him the sickest fistbump you think you've ever given someone, and you feel like maybe some of his coolness rubbed off on you. You are going to be the world's best galpal.

____

DAVE: Hell yes  


____

JUNE: Hell fucking yes.  


____

Oh man, that was so great. This pretty much proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that Dave Strider is the coolest dude ever. You've gotta break the news to Rose and Kanaya, even though you technically don't have to.

____

JUNE: Ok Dave, I'm gonna get back to Rose and Kanaya to tell them that there's nothing they can do to convince me.  


____

DAVE: Alright I'll get back into the throes of debate  
DAVE: No need to wish me luck  


____

JUNE: Oh yeah, before I go, what exactly are you there arguing about?  


____

DAVE: Capes pretty much  


____

JUNE: Capes?  


____

DAVE: Yeah capes don't make me say it twice  
DAVE: Dirk and I correctly think that capes are dope and are pretty much the best fashion statement one can have  
DAVE: Karkat thinks otherwise so we're trying to convince him  
DAVE: Its been a long and terrible process involving a couple classic Vantas tantrums which is pretty much leading nowhere  
DAVE: But what kind of guy would I be if I just let my bro live life without experiencing the pure joy and euphoria that is wearing a sick ass cape  


____

JUNE: Well, that does sound tough, but if anyone can do it, you can.  


____

DAVE: Thanks my newly minted galpal  
DAVE: Now excuse me while I pick up the slack that I've left hanging for Dirk  


____

JUNE: You can do it Dave!  


____

Dave turns around and rejoins the argument, and you look at the last spot Rose and Kanaya were, noticing their absence. You see in the periphery of your vision someone wave at you, and you turn to look. It's Roxy, who has sat down on the arm of your couch, while the couple you were looking for have relaxed themselves on the very same thing, albeit a bit more properly. You walk over to them, ready to drop the news.

____

ROSE: Welcome back, June.  


____

ROXY: hey June! how u liking the party?  


____

JUNE: Hey guys! It's been really great, even though I totally fell asleep for a bit, haha.  
JUNE: By the way, thanks, Roxy. I've only been actually doing party stuff for like a third of the time everyone else has, but it really has been super cool so far. I really appreciate it.  


____

ROXY: aww Juuuuune! ur gonna make me tear up over here!  


____

JUNE: Heh, my bad. Mind if I sit down, or did you want the last spot?  


____

ROXY: nah ur all good  


____

Rose and Kanaya are, of course, sitting next to each other, with Kanaya in the middle and Roxy on the arm of the right seat that Rose has sat in. You plop yourself down on the only available spot, the leftmost one. You realize you haven't actually sat on this couch with someone else in a few years, and it makes you smile when you consider just how many people are around you right now.

____

KANAYA: Ah  


____

JUNE: Oh, did I mess up your spot Kanaya?  


____

KANAYA: No You Did Not  
KANAYA: Please Ignore That Sound I Just Made As It Has No Significance Whatsoever  


____

JUNE: If you say so!  


____

ROXY: (lol)  


____

You lean back into the couch, getting comfortable. Your neck still aches a little, so it feels good to give it a rest for a minute. You hear Roxy get up, presumably to go chat with someone other than his mother. You try to relax your muscles, and you make sure to stay awake this time. It would be hard to fall asleep in this situation anyways. The voices of Dirk, Dave, and Karkat are still pretty loud, and you close your eyes, letting your other senses pick up the slack.

____

Aside from the ongoing debate, you pick up the sounds of Jake and Jade laughing to themselves, making jokes at the Striders expense. You stop yourself from laughing at one of them, but it still puts a smile on your face. You shift your focus to somewhere else, and you get the faint idea that Jane and Callie are talking amongst themselves. You can't pick up any of what they're saying, but their tones sound kind of serious, so you shift your focus again.

____

You realize that Kanaya and Rose have been whispering to each other, and you find it hard to not listen to the two people physically closest to you. They're being pretty quiet, so you're unsure exactly how you're hearing them, but you have a feeling that the breeze is helping you out a little. Neat.

____

KANAYA: (How Is She This Different Rose This Makes No Sense)  
KANAYA: (And Yes I Understand She Is Pretty Much The Same Person But For Some Reason She Seems To Be Almost A Separate Entity To The Last Time I Saw Her)  


____

ROSE: (In what ways does she seem different?)  


____

KANAYA: (Well For Starters She Is Significantly Cuter Than I Remember Her Being)  
KANAYA: (Her Sense Of Apparel Has Clearly Improved And While That May Just Be A Personal Bias It Still Is Affecting My View Of Her)  
KANAYA: (Please Tell Me This Is Not All Some Sort Of Grand Delusion Of Mine)  


____

ROSE: (Oh, believe me, you're not alone here. I was surprised too when I saw her.)  


____

Well jeez, whoever they're talking about sounds like quite the babe! You don't mean to eavesdrop, but now you're kind of curious who they're talking about. Maybe Jade? She told you earlier out on the balcony she was keeping to herself in her new lab, so maybe that's why they're so surprised. She has developed some muscles since the last time you saw her.

____

Or could it be Jane? You haven't really thought about it, and for good reason, but you recall Roxy and Dave mentioning that they found her attractive, but you didn't know if she was a topic of gossip or not. You don't even know what Jane really does in her spare time, now that you think about it. You hope you can visit her soon and see what she's been up to.

____

You realize you kind of zoned out for a minute and missed out on what the two were whispering about. You tune back into their conversation.

____

KANAYA: (All I'm Saying Is)  
KANAYA: (It Feels Strange Because I Was Not Expecting My Tastes To Differ So Much From The Type Of Woman I Usually Find Myself Attracted To)  


____

ROSE: (I suppose that's understandable. If it's any consolation, I'm struggling with essentially the same thing, though I had a much better idea of what to expect ahead of time.)  
ROSE: (Do you think this is something you want to pursue?)  


____

KANAYA: (I Am Not Sure)  
KANAYA: (I Think I Would Have To Let These Feelings Exist For A While Before Acting On Them Properly)  


____

ROSE: (Sounds like a good course of action.)  


____

The two end their whispering there, and you break your focus on making the breeze bring you information. You don't want to snoop too much. You slowly let out a breath you were holding, and you feel much happier than you think you've been in a long time. You're not even doing anything, just sitting in your living room, listening to your friends talk.

____

Maybe that's something you haven't had for too long.

____

Before you can dwell on that, you feel a hand lightly tap your right leg. You open your eyes and look to your right. Rose is leaning over Kanaya and looking at you attentively, which makes you feel really self conscious for some reason.

____

ROSE: June, you didn't fall asleep again, did you?  


____

JUNE: Nope, I was just relaxing. It would be pretty hard to sleep with all the noise.  


____

ROSE: True, but I wasn't asking because I thought you actually were sleeping. Rather, there seems to be something you've forgotten to tell us.  


____

JUNE: Really? What did I...  
JUNE: Oh yeah, I was going to tell you that Dave is still the coolest dude ever.  


____

ROSE: Oh? Do tell us how you came upon this realization.  


____

JUNE: Well first, it wasn't something I realized because I already knew it, but sure.  
JUNE: Pretty much all there is to it is Dave knows the best way to stay cool is to not even respond to your accusations of un-coolness.  


____

ROSE: Really, now.  


____

JUNE: Yes, really. We also fistbumped, and decided that because I'm a girl now I couldn't be his bro, so I'm going to be his galpal instead.  


____

KANAYA: His What  


____

Rose backs away and begins to laugh uncontrollably. Kanaya looks at you like you've just said something mortifying, and there is a moment where you just look at the two of them and wonder what was funny about what you just said.

____

KANAYA: June Please Tell Me What You Think The Word Galpal Means  


____

JUNE: Its pretty much the girl version of bro, right?  


____

KANAYA: No  
KANAYA: It Absolutely Does Not Mean That  
KANAYA: Please Do Not Ever Use That Word In The Way You Just Did Ever Again  


____

JUNE: Oh, come on. What's wrong with the way I'm using galpal?  


____

KANAYA: Everything  


____

JUNE: Well, I like the way I use galpal, and there's nothing you can do to stop me!  


____

KANAYA: I Am Going To Tell You What Galpal Means So Listen Closely June  
KANAYA: Galpal Means-  


____

JUNE: Nononono! Not listening to this! Whatever you think it is, you're totally wrong!  


____

KANAYA: It Means Two Women Who-  


____

JUNE: Blah blah blah I can't hear you! You're going to have to speak up Kanaya!  


____

KANAYA: You Are Being Very Childish Right Now  


____

JUNE: It's my coming out party and I can be childish if I want to!  


____

KANAYA: Galpal Means When-  


____

JUNE: Noooooooo!  


____

Rose is still laughing, and people have started noticing. Your commotion has drawn even the attention of the great debaters; the Striders and Karkat. You're not paying attention to any of that though, as you're way too occupied with how much fun you're having.

____

\-----

____

You close the door to the balcony behind you and take yourself to the railing, placing your hands on it. The party ended a few hours ago and it's somewhere around 2am, but you still feel wide awake.

____

Your name is JUNE EGBERT, and you are 20 years old. It's autumn, and it won't be long before winter arrives. Things seem peaceful, and your friends were all happy to see you, maybe happier than you were to see them. Everyone is alive and well, and you're a lot closer with them now than you have been in years.

____

All except one.

____

You gaze out at the dark area surrounding your house, and a breeze begins to pick up. It brushes over your fingers, runs through your clothes, and whispers in your ears. 

____

The sun set a long time ago, and the only things you can see are from subtle reflections of moonlight. A metal signpost here, a lightning rod there. You don't look at any one thing in particular. 

____

Today is not a special day. It is not yours or anyone else's birthday, it is not a holiday, and it is not the anniversary of anything in particular. There is nothing significant about this particular date that fills you with nostalgia, fear, anger, or any other type of emotion. There should be nothing evocative about this point in time.

____

And yet, there is something about tonight. The lack of true silence caused by the breeze, the presence of a weight on your shoulders you didn't know was there, and an absence of any and all communication from your pointy blind friend all seem to indicate the beginning of something. Some sequence of events you can't see, the possibility of escalation, and the brewing of a storm you are helping to create. 

____

Your hands begin to chill against the railing, and you retreat them into your pockets. The air seems to stick to your skin, and with every passing second the ground beneath your feet feels less and less secure, like a string keeping you tethered to the earth is starting to snap. Your head leans back, and you stare at the open sky, the memories of the night breathing and twirling around in your mind.

____

Your breath catches in your neck, and for a moment, all you can perceive is touch. Your vision nearly blacked out, your feet lift from the ground, and your arms now float by your sides, like you're being supported by a chair made of clouds. 

____

Your palms merge with the changing wind, the tips of your fingers dissolving entirely. The quiet, smothering breeze pushes against your chest, your temples, your mouth. A silent, ethereal blue haze forms around you, the space you occupy beginning to crackle with electricity. Your ears pop as the force touches your lips, and you unconsciously breathe it in. It enters your mouth, your nose, your skin. The blood in your veins turns to ice, and a shock runs up your spine, then dissolves entirely. 

____

For a second, you float there, the sensations of it all making their way to your brain. You blink a few times, take it all in, and observe yourself. The palms of your hands and the soles of your feet sting, your back feels relaxed, and you're hovering multiple stories above your house. You blink a couple more times on purpose, and slowly descend back to your balcony.

____

Your feet touch the ground, and it all comes back to you. You realize that, for a few minutes, you forgot about yourself. Just for a little bit, you were a part of the breeze. You bring your hands up to your face. No more stinging, and no more glowing. 

____

Your thoughts try to overtake you with questions about what just happened to you. You decide, perhaps unsurprisingly, not to think about it. There is one question you allow yourself to ask, however. 

____

What if today wasn't normal? What if the things that happened today really meant something? Maybe the events that happened in your house, because of and about you, were important? 

____

What if things changed for the better?

____

Maybe you don't have to know right now. Maybe, once in a while, you should just leave things be and come back to them later. Go with the flow. 

____

You decide that, even if today isn't that special, or important, or significant at all to anyone but you, then maybe it was a good day. Maybe the idea that it was fun for you and the people you love is all that it needs to be.

____

You think you'd be ok with that.

____

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a lot of fun to make! I didn't know dialogue could be so entertaining to write before I made this. I know this is a June fic, but man, Dave is so fun to write for. Sorry there's so much of him in this! Next fic will still be June-focused, but with more emphasis on the characters that didn't get a lot of screentime this time around. Thanks for reading!


End file.
